Japan Guest Nights 54.67 Million in July 2026, Down 3.5% as Decline NarrowsA · FULL TRANSLATION
- July 2026 guest nights were 54.67m (-3.5% y/y): Japanese 41.10m (-3.1%), foreign 13.58m (-4.6%); the annual decline narrowed sharply from June
- June's first preliminary of 46.78m, reported here last month, was revised down to 45.82m (-0.96m) in the second preliminary, and its y/y worsened from -6.5% to -8.4%
- Foreign share of guest nights was 24.8% in July, below June's 26.7% and below a year earlier, tracking the sharp fall in Chinese visitors
- July is a first preliminary (32.9% response rate); the second preliminary on 30 September will revise it, and foreign stays are typically understated at this stage
- Break in series: from January 2026 the stratification variable changed from employee count to room count, so year-on-year comparisons carry a methodology effect
Last month this series reported June 2026 at 46.78m guest nights on the first preliminary; the second preliminary has revised June down to 45.82m, a cut of 0.96m, and its year-on-year worsened from -6.5% to -8.4%. The newly added July first preliminary comes in at 54.67m, down 3.5% year on year, with Japanese stays at 41.10m (-3.1%) and foreign stays at 13.58m (-4.6%).
The revision cuts both ways. May was revised up at second preliminary; June was revised down. First preliminaries are not always low — when response rates are thin, later samples can move the figure either direction. June's response rate rose from 36.1% to 44.6% and pulled the number down. July's -3.5% is again a first preliminary, on just a 32.9% response rate, so it should be treated as provisional until the second preliminary on 30 September, especially for foreign stays.
On the four benchmarks: versus the revised June (45.82m) July is up 19.3%, a seasonal summer-peak move; versus a year earlier it is down 3.5%, less than half June's -8.4% and one of the better months this year; the release did not carry a July 2019 pre-pandemic figure, so we do not estimate one here.
The foreign share was 24.8% in July, down from 26.7% in June, and foreign stays have now fallen year on year for several months as the Chinese-visitor gap persists. For lodging investors the read is that demand has not collapsed, but the growth engine is decelerating — the September second preliminary will show whether July's foreign figure gets revised up.
Caveat: from January 2026 the survey's stratification variable changed from employee count to room count, so year-on-year comparisons spanning 2025 and 2026 carry a methodology effect.
Japan Tourism Agency, released 31 August 2026 — Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (July 2026 first preliminary, June 2026 second preliminary). Summary translation:
Change in survey design: from the January 2026 survey the stratification variable was changed from number of employees to number of guest rooms, so year-on-year comparisons and differences may include the effect of this revision.
1. Guest nights. Total guest nights in July 2026 were 54.67 million (-3.5% year on year): Japanese 41.10 million (-3.1%) and foreign 13.58 million (-4.6%). June 2026 total was 45.82 million (-8.4%), Japanese 33.60 million (-6.3%) and foreign 12.22 million (-14.0%). July figures are first preliminary values and may change in the second preliminary scheduled for 30 September 2026.
2. Room occupancy. The overall room occupancy rate in July 2026 was 60.8%. Occupancy at ryokan and resort hotels improved year on year.
3. Basis of the figures. In this release, 2007-2025 are final values, January-June 2026 are second preliminary and July 2026 is first preliminary. July 2026 (first preliminary) is estimated from valid questionnaires collected by 12 August 2026 (effective response rate 32.9%). June 2026 (second preliminary) uses questionnaires collected by 14 August 2026 (response rate 44.6%); for reference, the June first preliminary response rate was 36.1%.
(Prefecture-level and nationality-level detail is available in the original Japanese release.)