Japan’s Travel & Tourism sector nears pre-pandemic recovery despite lengthy restrictions

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) this week reveals Japan’s Travel & Tourism sector’s GDP contribution is forecast to reach USD 285.5 billion (JPY 37.6 trillion) this year.

This figure is only 6.8% shy of to the 2019 pre-pandemic high of USD 306.5 billion (JPY 40.3 trillion), and by end of year the sector could represent 6.8% of the total economy.

Despite the effects of the pandemic spanning into 2023 in Japan, WTTC is forecasting for the sector to create around 470,000 jobs this year, to reach nearly 5.6 million. This means around one in twelve workers in Japan, are directly or indirectly employed in the Travel & Tourism sector.