Japan Lodging Statistics, May 2026: 53.39 Million Guest-Nights, Down 4.8% as Foreign Stays Fall 13.4%A · FULL TRANSLATION
- May 2026 total guest-nights came to 53,387,540 (-4.8% YoY). Japanese guest-nights were 39.57 million (-1.4%); foreign guest-nights were 13.82 million (-13.4%).
- Foreign guests accounted for 25.9% of the total, down from 28.4% in May 2025 but still well above the 18.9% recorded in May 2019.
- Against May 2019, the total is up 3.9%, with Japanese stays down 5.0% and foreign stays up 42.0%.
- Guest-nights have run below the prior year for five straight months in 2026: -6.5%, -0.7%, -2.2%, -7.2% and -4.8%.
- May figures are first preliminary estimates (34.5% valid response rate); second preliminary figures are due 31 July 2026. Note: from the January 2026 survey the stratification variable changed from number of employees to number of guest rooms (properties with 20+ rooms are now surveyed in full), so year-on-year comparisons spanning 2025/2026 include the effect of this change.
The headline for May 2026 is 53.39 million guest-nights, down 4.8% from a year earlier. The split matters more than the total: Japanese stays fell only 1.4%, while foreign stays dropped 13.4%. Almost all of the decline sits on the inbound side.
The April nationality breakdown in the same release explains most of it. Foreign guest-nights fell 10.1% overall in April, with China down 55.0% on its own. Taiwan (+11.1%), Korea (+11.2%), Vietnam (+44.2%) and Russia (+37.4%) all grew, but not by enough to offset China. In May, Taiwan led with 1.68 million guest-nights at properties with 20 or more rooms, ahead of the United States at 1.53 million, Korea at 1.49 million and China at 1.09 million.
The longer view is the useful one for operators. May 2019 recorded 51.40 million guest-nights; May 2026 records 53.39 million, up 3.9%. Within that, Japanese stays fell 5.0% while foreign stays rose 42.0%. Every unit of growth over seven years has come from inbound demand, and domestic demand has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. That is the exposure to watch: the higher a property's inbound share, the more a single source market can move its occupancy.
Two things to track: the second preliminary release on 31 July, and whether Chinese guest-nights stop falling.
On 6 July 2026 the Japan Tourism Agency released the Accommodation Survey, covering second preliminary figures for April 2026 and first preliminary figures for May 2026.
Total guest-nights. April 2026 recorded 49.11 million guest-nights, down 7.2% year on year; May 2026 recorded 53.39 million, down 4.8%. Japanese guest-nights were 33.74 million in April (-5.5%) and 39.57 million in May (-1.4%). Foreign guest-nights were 15.36 million in April (-10.8%) and 13.82 million in May (-13.4%). The exact May figures are 53,387,540 total, of which 13,815,640 were foreign and 39,571,900 Japanese.
By nationality. For April (second preliminary, properties with 20 or more rooms), the United States ranked first at 1,775,190 guest-nights (13.2% share, -6.1%), followed by Taiwan at 1,764,240 (13.2%, +11.1%), Korea at 1,430,720 (10.7%, +11.2%), China at 1,071,610 (8.0%, -55.0%) and Australia at 643,010 (4.8%, -13.3%). The top five accounted for 49.8% of the total, which itself fell 10.1%. Vietnam (+44.2%), Russia (+37.4%) and India (+16.5%) posted the largest increases. For May (first preliminary), foreign guest-nights at properties with 20 or more rooms totalled 12,063,150: Taiwan 1,681,620, the United States 1,527,050, Korea 1,493,740, China 1,090,450, Australia 491,500 and Hong Kong 449,960.
Survey coverage. Japan has 75,665 lodging establishments in total. The May 2026 first preliminary estimate is based on 20,937 surveyed establishments (13,281 with 20 or more rooms, 7,656 with fewer than 20) and a valid response rate of 34.5%. The April second preliminary estimate covered 20,994 establishments at a 44.7% response rate. May figures may change in the second preliminary release scheduled for 31 July 2026.
Stratification change. To improve statistical precision, from the January 2026 survey the stratification variable was changed from number of employees to number of guest rooms. Establishments with 20 or more rooms are surveyed in full; those with 1 to 19 rooms are sampled, with sampling rates set by prefecture. Year-on-year comparisons and differences may therefore include the effect of this revision.