New Year holiday travel to Japan expected to rise first time in four years

JTB Corp stated it expects the number of travellers departing Japan during the upcoming New Year holidays to increase from the previous year's level for the first time in four years with growth of 3.4% to 582,000 expected (Kyodo News, 03-Dec-2010). Growth is expected to be triggered by the recent appreciation of the yen and the opening of the international terminal at Tokyo Haneda Airport. The number of arrivals in Japan is expected to increase 0.6% to 28.8 million, also marking the first increase in four years. Overseas travel expenses are estimated to average JPY203,000 (USD2421) per person, up 4.4%, as the strong yen is encouraging spending abroad while money to be spent on domestic trips is expected to decline 1.6% to JPY31,800 (USD379).