How many Japanese tourists visit Australia each year?
Over 484,000 Japanese tourists visited Australia between July 2018 and June 2019.1
Japanese tourism through the years
Since peaking in 1995/96 with 813,500 visitors, Japanese tourism has generally been on the decline and only started to increase again in 2013/14.
Although Japanese tourism saw a 9.4% increase during the 2018/19 year, the current total is still 40% lower than the ’90s peak.
Japanese visitors to Australia between 1990 and 2019. Data source: ABS. Image credit: Camper Champ
Why has Japanese tourism struggled through the years?
The economic situation is believed to be a major contributing factor to the lower numbers of tourists.
Japan’s economy has largely stagnated since the late ’90s, and average weekly earnings have not seen a dramatic change.2
On the other hand, Australia has had impressive economic performance over the last two decades and average weekly earnings have increased dramatically.
As wages have increased, so have prices in Australia, which has made Australia a much more expensive destination for Japanese tourists.
Australia and Japan average yearly wage between 1990 and 2019. Data source: OECD. Image credit: Camper Champ
Japan's share in the Australian tourism industry
Japan accounted for 5.3% of all tourism in Australia during the 2018/19 year, being the 5th-largest source of visitors.
Top countries that sent visitors to Australia in 2019
Japan's contribution to tourism expenditure in Australia
At an estimated $2B in 2018/19, Japan accounted for 4.6% of all expenditure from international tourists, ranking 5th on Australia’s top list of spenders.3
Australian tourism top spenders in 2019 by country. Data source: TRA. Image credit: Camper Champ
What do Japanese tourists spend on in Australia?
Japanese tourists have above average spending on tours and transport, with holidaymakers contributing the most to overall spending.
Australian visitor spends per day in 2019 (by country) Data source: TRA. Image credit: Camper Champ
Japan's travel patterns and Australia's share
Despite having one of the strongest passports in the world, currently only around 25% of Japanese citizens own a passport.4
Taiwan, South Korea and Hawaii have been the top three travel destinations for Japanese tourists since 2008.
Australia ranked 9th on the list, according to one 2018 survey.
Australia ranked 6th on a list of places Japanese tourists would like to visit, indicating numbers could rise in the coming years.
