A Japanese government white paper on tourism is calling for efforts to boost domestic travel. Local residents have been taking fewer trips since the COVID pandemic.
That’s in contrast to a boom in the number of visitors from overseas.
The white paper says Japan hosted the most number of foreign visitors ever in 2024. Their spending was also a record high.
Japanese opened their wallets too, spending a record 25.1 trillion yen, or roughly 175 billion dollars, on their domestic trips last year.
But the number of travelers was down 8.2 percent compared to 2019, before the pandemic took hold.
The government report blames the country’s shrinking and aging population and declining birthrate.
One idea is to attract repeat visitors through programs where they can interact with local residents.
Seven municipalities are collaborating in one such initiative, called Yukiguni.
A woman from Tokyo experienced rice planting in Niigata Prefecture last week. The accommodation fee was free in exchange for the work. She says she was so moved that she wants to come back to harvest rice.
The organizer says the tour fosters a sense of affection for the area among participants as they can contribute locally. Another benefit is that the visitors can help with the region’s labor shortage through their interactions with local people.
AloJapan.com