Indian outbound travel to Japan reached a historic milestone in 2025, with total arrivals crossing the 300,000 mark for the first time. From January to December 2025, Japan welcomed 315,100 Indian visitors, reflecting a robust growth of 35.2 per cent over 2024 figures and an increase of nearly 80 per cent compared to pre-COVID levels in 2019.
The record-breaking performance highlights the growing enthusiasm among Indian travellers for Japan, driven by improved air connectivity, sustained engagement with the Indian travel trade, and rising awareness of destinations beyond the traditional Golden Route. Japan’s evolution into a year-round destination for Indian travellers has also played a key role in this growth.
The vibrant autumn foliage is increasingly drawing Indian travelers, marking autumn as a rising season for tourism. November welcomed approx. 28,900 arrivals showing growth of 22%, while December climbed by 37% to approx. 23,300 arrivals, both showing strong growth. Snow destinations such as Hokkaido and the Japanese Alps are gaining popularity, with Indian families and especially honeymoon travelers embracing powder snow, winter illumination and winter sports.
The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Delhi Office believes that several key factors have contributed to this record-breaking performance in the 2025. These include a sustained overseas travel boom in the Indian market and Japan’s growing reputation as a unique luxury destination that blends culture, modernity, and nature. The enduring appeal of the Golden Route (Tokyo–Osaka–Kyoto–Hiroshima) continues to draw interest, while there is also a noticeable rise in travel to off-the-Golden Route destinations such as the Alpine Route, Hokkaido and Okinawa. Additionally, Japan’s strengthened hospitality infrastructure and increasingly India- friendly environment—including the growing availability of Indian cuisine, multilingual signage, unique cultural experiences, tax free shopping, etc—have made the country even more appealing to Indian travellers.
Japan Airlines (JAL), with its new Narita route alongside the existing Haneda service, and All Nippon Airways (ANA), set to launch daily Mumbai–Narita flights in 2026, are driving improved air connectivity between India and Japan. Their expanded services will give Indian families greater convenience and flexibility when travelling. This growth is further supported by increased networks through code-share agreements between airlines and the rising use of connecting flights via Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
JNTO Delhi Office continuous promotional efforts including consumer-facing events like: Japan Travel Fair 2026 (JTF), advertising campaigns, trade seminars, FAM tours and collaboration with trade partners—have significantly raised awareness of Japan in India.
AloJapan.com