Japan is aiming for one million Japanese cruise passengers annually by 2030 to boost the country’s cruise market, which has yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels.
Japanese cruise travellers numbered 224,000 in 2024, only 63 per cent of the record high of 356,000 recorded in 2019. Of those 356,000 passengers, 118,000 travelled on domestic cruises (ships registered in Japan) while 238,000 travelled on international cruises (ships registered overseas).
Asuka III, Japan’s largest domestic cruise ship, made her inaugural sailing in July
By the end of the decade, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is targeting 700,000 Japanese cruise passengers on domestic ships and 300,000 on international ships.
The goal is based on recommendations of an expert panel tasked with considering the sustainable development of the country’s cruise market. Their report advises industry, government and academia to work together by “diversifying and upgrading the market in terms of both quality and quantity, and expanding the range of services for individual travellers”.
Central to those efforts is the supply of new ships, including those catering to new markets such as young families and people in their forties and fifties.
In July, Asuka III, a 740-pax luxury liner owned by NYK cruises, became the largest Japan-flagged passenger ship when she made her inaugural sailing from her home port of Yokohama to Hokkaido. Designed to be a flagship for the Japanese cruise industry, the vessel boasts all ocean-view cabins with balconies, a 24-hour gym, a pool and six restaurants.
Another Japan-flagged ship, which will operate a Disney cruise by Oriental Land Co. for up to 4,000 pax, is scheduled to start service in 2028.
Other endeavours to attract more Japanese cruise passengers will include the creation of new products such as short, affordable cruises from metropolitan areas; greater provision of information about products such as luxury accommodation and dining options; expansion and diversification of sales channels including online; and promotion on social media.
AloJapan.com