Japan travel agencies look abroad for growth as Japanese tourists stay home

TOKYO — Major Japanese travel agencies are focusing more on demand from overseas, with a weak yen and rising prices keeping Japanese travelers at home even as worldwide travel numbers return to pre-pandemic levels.

Travel agency JTB called in managers from 11 locations in the Asia-Oceania region to its Tokyo headquarters on Monday to discuss a new strategy to expand orders related to the meetings and events industry, or MICE — which stands for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.