By Sylvan Lebrun
TOKYO–The chief executive of JTB, Japan’s largest travel agency, expects the number of visitors to the country this year to surpass its initial expectations as demand built up over years of entry restrictions, coupled with a weaker yen, spurs a vigorous recovery in tourism.
Eijiro Yamakita said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Friday that while the agency’s estimate of 21.1 million inbound travelers appeared “very strong” when it was issued, “the current temperature is a little higher than that.”
Visitors from the U.S., Europe, and Australia are driving the tourism revival, while the number of travelers from China remains at a fraction of prepandemic levels because of curbs Beijing has placed on group tours to Japan. If Beijing eases that policy, Yamakita said he expects a recovery in Chinese tourist numbers in the second half of the year.
The rebound in tourism has had a ripple effect across a number of Japanese industries, including lodging, transportation and restaurants, he said. In response, hotels and airlines have raised their prices in recent months, but other sectors haven’t yet followed suit, he added.
To combat congestion, JTB’s post-pandemic focus is encouraging foreign guests to explore the regions of Japan beyond the major cities of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. A similar goal appeared in the Japanese government’s 2023-2025 tourism plan.
“We need to be prepared for the new era, because we don’t want to repeat the problems of the past with overtourism,” Yamakita said.
He observed that more than 30 million people visited Japan in 2019, the prepandemic peak year, and sees potential for visitor numbers to climb beyond that level.
Write to Sylvan Lebrun at sylvan.lebrun@wsj.com
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