Hotel stays in Japan hit record highs for the second year in a row

The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) reports that the number of hotel stays and those at other accommodations in the country hit record highs in 2024.

As of Friday, 28th February, this is the second consecutive year that the Japanese hospitality sector has reported a significant growth in the number of booked stays.

This phenomenon has been attributed to the ongoing growth surge in terms of inbound tourism.

Key statistics from 2024

The cumulative total of travellers availing of accommodations in Japan was up 5.3 percent, hitting 650.28 million.

Japan likewise welcomed a record number of foreign arrivals in the past year, surging by 38.9 percent to hit a total of 163.6 million as of 31st December.

However, the number of domestic travellers booking accommodations in both hotels and more traditional ryokan inns dropped by around 2.6 percent.

With regard to major cities, Tokyo saw the largest number of hotel stays, followed by Osaka and Hokkaido; while Ibaraki Prefecture saw the highest increase in terms of foreign arrivals, with totals rising by 36 percent.

It was also noted that 70 percent of stays booked by foreign travellers were in Japan’s three largest metropolitan areas, namely Tokyo, Aichi, and Osaka.