Passport application fees were significantly reduced in July. A 10-year passport had cost ¥15,900 (about $102) when applied for electronically and ¥16,300 ($105) at a counter through June. From July, the fees were cut by ¥7,000 ($45) in both cases.
At the same time, the departure tax, charged to everyone leaving Japan, was raised from ¥1,000 ($6) to ¥3,000 on July 1.
Despite the changes, a survey by internet services company Ceres Inc. found that 80% of respondents had no plans to travel abroad. Six in 10 respondents said rising prices were a factor behind their decision.
The online survey was conducted in mid-June, shortly before the passport fee reductions took effect, among 20,000 people aged 12 and older across Japan.
Few Plan Overseas Trips
Asked about their plans to travel abroad this year, the largest group, 55.7%, said they had no plans to obtain a passport or travel overseas.
Another 16.2% said they already had a passport but had no particular plans to travel abroad, while 9.5% said they planned to obtain a passport because of the fee reduction but had no particular plans to travel overseas.
Combined, these responses accounted for more than 80% of respondents.
Meanwhile, among those who already had a passport, only 14.0% said they planned to travel abroad this year, while 4.6% said they wanted to travel as soon as they obtained a passport.
Rising Costs Affect Travel
The company also examined the reasons behind these trends. Asked how rising prices were currently affecting their travel plans, 60% of respondents said they had been affected.
The most common impact was traveling less frequently in general, cited by 37.9% of respondents.
This was followed by changing their destination to a less expensive country or region, or traveling within Japan, at 20.4%; cutting spending on sightseeing-related expenses, including food and souvenirs, at 18.4%; choosing less expensive accommodations, at 15.6%; and shortening the length of their stay, at 10.8%. Multiple answers were allowed.
Travel Budgets Shrink
Asked about the maximum amount they would spend on a trip, whether domestic or overseas, the most common answer was less than ¥50,000 ($320), at 42.9%.
This was followed by ¥50,000 to less than ¥100,000, at 20.1%, and ¥100,000 to less than ¥200,000, at 14.1%. Another 10.1% said they would not travel at all.
Based on these findings, the company concluded that “rising prices are making it more difficult for people to travel.”
(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: The Sankei Shimbun
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