Publication of “JTB Outbound Tourism Report 2026: All About Japanese Overseas Travelers,” Covering the Current State and Future Outlook of the Overseas Travel Market in 2025
Key Findings
- Although the number of international travelers is steadily increasing, it remains at only 73.4% of the 2019 level
Although the number of international travelers in 2025 is expected to rise steadily by 13.3% year-over-year, the recovery remains slow compared to 2019 levels.
- The annual number of female travelers in their 20s has recovered to a level close to that of 2019
Women in their 20s, who have a strong appetite for overseas travel, are driving the Japanese overseas travel market.
- Even as travel costs rise, men under 30 are finding ways to travel abroad
As the cost of overseas travel continues to rise, men under 30 are still traveling abroad by flexibly adjusting their plans—such as “shortening the trip” or “finding cheaper dates to visit the same destination.”
JTB Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President, and CEO: Tomohiro Aomi) has published the “JTB Outbound Tourism Report 2026: All About Japanese Overseas Travelers” (commonly known as the “JTB REPORT”), which summarizes the current state of the Japanese overseas travel market in 2025.This marks the 39th edition of the report, which has been published annually since 1988. The report was analyzed and compiled by JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and CEO: Yoshito Kazama) based on its own survey data and statistical materials from relevant organizations. It is currently available for purchase at the online bookstores linked on the [Product Page]. In addition, an e-book edition is also scheduled to go on sale in September 2026.
Although the number of international travelers is steadily increasing, it remains at only 73.4% of the 2019 level
In 2025, the number of international travelers stood at 14,732,000, marking a 13.3% increase from the previous year and indicating a steady recovery; however, compared to 2019, this figure represents a 26.6% decrease, suggesting that the recovery in demand for international travel is still taking time.
The annual number of female travelers in their late 20s has recovered to a level close to that of 2019
The outbound travel rate for 2025—calculated as the ratio of the number of outbound travelers (total number) to the population—stood at 12.0%. Among these, the outbound travel rate for women in their 20s (number of travelers ÷ population) was 34.0%, which is significantly higher than that of other gender and age groups.Looking at the number of outbound travelers by gender and age group, while the number of female travelers in their late 20s has recovered to a level nearly on par with 2019, the sluggish growth in the number of male travelers in their 20s through 50s remains evident, continuing the trend from last year.
Even as travel costs rise, men under 30 are finding ways to travel abroad
The 2026 “Overseas Travel Attitudes Survey” examined respondents’ attitudes toward travel expenses when traveling abroad. Among those who selected “I felt the costs were high but went ahead with the trip without making any changes to my plans,” the proportion of male respondents under 30 was low, indicating a tendency to adjust their plans before traveling abroad.Looking at specific changes to travel plans, the percentages of respondents who “shortened their itinerary,” “searched for cheaper dates to visit the same destination,” or “chose an overseas destination within their budget” were higher than in other segments. In terms of overall trends, men were more likely than women to adjust their plans in response to rising travel costs, and younger age groups were more likely to do so than older ones.
