Japanese Travellers Spent ¥49,441 per Trip in Q1 2026, Up 5.1% Year on YearA · FULL TRANSLATION
- First instalment of our fixed quarterly series on domestic travel spend per trip. Q1 2026 came in at ¥49,441, up 5.1% year on year
- Overnight trips averaged ¥71,753 (+4.4%) and day trips ¥20,738 (+3.8%)
- Volume and value diverged: trips rose just 0.9% while total spending rose 6.0% — the quarter was carried by unit price
- The overnight peak remains Q3 2025 at ¥74,972; Q1 2026 sits ¥3,219 below that, and seasonality means comparisons should be made against the same quarter
- Over two years the average trip has gone from ¥43,339 (Q1 2024) to ¥49,441, a 14.1% rise
This is the first instalment of our fixed quarterly series on Japanese domestic travel spend per trip.
In the January-March 2026 quarter (second preliminary), Japanese travellers spent an average of ¥49,441 per trip, up 5.1% year on year. Overnight trips averaged ¥71,753 (+4.4%) and day trips ¥20,738 (+3.8%).
This line matters because it explains the divergence inside the same release: trips rose only 0.9% while total spending rose 6.0%. The gap is unit price. In plain terms, the quarter's growth came from the same travellers paying ¥2,397 more per trip.
Seasonality matters. The overnight peak was ¥74,972 in the July-September 2025 quarter and the trough ¥62,690 in January-March 2024. This quarter's ¥71,753 sits in the upper half of that range, and against ¥68,732 a year earlier it is a genuine gain — which is why this series compares only like quarters.
Day-trip spend of ¥20,738 (+3.8%) fell 3.6% in the July-September 2025 quarter before recovering for two consecutive quarters. Transport is a large share of day-trip costs, making it sensitive to fuel surcharges and rail fare revisions; two positive quarters suggest those pass-throughs are being absorbed.
Over two years the average trip has gone from ¥43,339 to ¥47,044 to ¥49,441, up 14.1%, while trip counts barely grew. Growth in the Japanese domestic market sits in yield per guest rather than guest numbers, favouring assets that can raise rate through upgrades, food and beverage or experiential formats over those chasing occupancy on price.
Japan Tourism Agency, 31 July 2026 — traveller volume and spend-per-trip sections of the Travel and Tourism Consumption Trend Survey, January-March 2026 (second preliminary):
Japanese domestic trips totalled 121.0 million in the January-March 2026 quarter (+0.9% year on year), comprising 68.08 million overnight trips (+2.3%) and 52.92 million day trips (-0.8%). Spending per trip was ¥49,441 (+5.1%), with overnight trips at ¥71,753 (+4.4%) and day trips at ¥20,738 (+3.8%). Spend per trip includes tour participation fees, transport, accommodation, food and drink, shopping and entertainment services.
Trips by quarter (millions; total / overnight / day): Q1 2024 112.82 (+11.0%) / 61.73 / 51.09. Q2 2024 145.22 / 74.65 / 70.58. Q3 2024 154.20 / 85.72 / 68.48. Q4 2024 127.71 / 71.04 / 56.67. Q1 2025 119.93 (+6.3%) / 66.57 / 53.35. Q2 2025 144.83 (-0.3%) / 72.77 / 72.06. Q3 2025 161.33 (+4.6%) / 90.20 / 71.13. Q4 2025 127.04 (-0.5%) / 70.42 / 56.61. Q1 2026 121.00 (+0.9%) / 68.08 / 52.92.
Spend per trip by quarter (yen; total / overnight / day): Q1 2024 43,339 / 62,690 / 19,958. Q2 2024 44,098 / 67,995 / 18,823. Q3 2024 47,907 / 70,760 / 19,299. Q4 2024 50,684 / 74,908 / 20,319. Q1 2025 47,044 / 68,732 / 19,981. Q2 2025 46,574 / 72,055 / 20,843. Q3 2025 50,115 / 74,972 / 18,595. Q4 2025 49,687 / 72,981 / 20,711. Q1 2026 49,441 / 71,753 / 20,738.