After securing more than 40 million foreign arrivals for the first time in 2025, Japan is expected to continue attracting Thai travellers this year despite a possible three‑fold increase in the departure tax to ¥3,000, though high airfares remain a factor to monitor.
According to Japan's Tourism Ministry, the number of foreign visitors last year tallied 42.7 million, with expenditure totalling US$60.1 billion. The nation aims to attract 60 million visitors by 2030.
Tassanee Kiatkamchornchai, vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), said bookings to Japan remain strong this year as the country is among the most-favoured destinations for Thai travellers post-pandemic.
She said breaking the 40‑million arrival mark came as no surprise to the TTAA as Thai tourists continued to flock to Japan last year. Though some Thai tourists chose to switch to China, the number of outbound travellers to Japan still surpassed 1 million.
Ms Tassanee said the planned increase of the departure tax from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 would have minimal market impact, as the weak yen supports tourist spending and embedding the fee in airfares makes the change less noticeable.
She said the only possible obstacle is surging airfares during high-demand periods, as the number of seats on Japanese routes remains limited compared with Chinese routes.
Some tourists decided to visit China instead due to more affordable airfares, convenient visa‑free entry and a more positive perception of cleanliness and infrastructure compared with the past 6-7 years, said Ms Tassanee.
Japan and China both offer a wide variety of destinations, not just a few key cities, which helps attract repeat visitors over time, she said.
The outbound tourism market from Thailand has posted consistent growth post-pandemic. In 2019, the number of locals travelling overseas tallied 13.6 million, and in 2024 the total was 14 million.
In 2025, Ms Tassanee said the popularity of China and strong demand for Japan likely made the outbound market grow to almost 20 million.
The TTAA is preparing to host the 31st edition of the Thai International Travel Fair 2026 between Jan 22-25 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
Phumiphiphat Meesamran, another vice-president of the TTAA, said the event this year spans more than 10,000 square metres and features 600 booths.
He said attendance is expected to exceed 300,000 people, with transaction value reaching 300 million baht.