Domestic travel was Japan’s most popular leisure activity last year, but the percentage of people who traveled remains below the level of the year before restrictions were imposed nationwide due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, a survey by a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization found.
According to the Japan Productivity Center, the percentage of people who have traveled or sight-seeing at least once, including day trips, rose 5.9 points from 2010 to 48.7%, making it the most enjoyed leisure activity for the second consecutive year.
The increase is due to Japan downgrading the coronavirus’ legal status to the same category as seasonal influenza in May last year, but the figure is still lower than 54.3% in 2019, before the pandemic.
Photo taken on December 29, 2023. People at the domestic terminal at Haneda Airport. (For editorial purposes only) (Kyodo News)
A staff member at the center said, “There are probably still some people, especially the elderly, who are worried about contracting the new coronavirus.”
The average annual budget for domestic travel in 2023 is expected to be about 133,000 yen ($865), an increase of about 30,000 yen from the previous year, likely due to rising accommodation and food and beverage costs caused by soaring inflation in the country.
According to the provisional version of the “Leisure White Paper 2024” released by the center on July 22, eating out rose two places from the previous year to second place at 39.2%, likely reflecting the fact that the impact of the spread of the COVID-19 virus on people’s lives is fading.
Watching videos came in third at 37.0%, followed by reading at 36.3% and listening to music at 34.5%, showing that indoor activities are becoming more popular.
The online survey was conducted in February and received valid responses from 3,303 people aged 15 to 79.
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