Some Chinese state-owned travel agencies have restarted applications for group tours to Japan, marking a tentative shift in outbound travel flows after months of political friction between the two countries.
According to reporting by the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, a travel agency linked to China Tourism Group is now organizing several six-night Japan itineraries scheduled between July and August 2026. Tours are not cheap: they are priced at more than ¥250,000 per person, equivalent to roughly $1,650–$1,700 at current exchange rates. They include Tokyo, Osaka Prefecture and Mount Fuji, with early applications already received.
The move follows months of uncertainty after Chinese authorities previously urged citizens to avoid Japan and tightened controls on group travel approvals, leading to widespread cancellations across the outbound sector.
Despite official constraints, private travel agents in Shanghai and Guangzhou had already restarted Japan packages earlier this year, reflecting persistent underlying demand for short-haul travel to Japan.
Until recently, China remained one of Japan’s most important inbound markets. After nearly 7 million Chinese visitors in 2024, arrivals surged further in 2025 to around 9.1 million, making China the second-largest source market.
However, momentum softened sharply late in the year as diplomatic tensions intensified, with December 2025 arrivals plunging about 45% year-on-year to roughly 330,400 visitors, according to official data. Full 2026 figures are not yet available, but early indicators point to a weaker start as the market adjusts to ongoing policy and sentiment shifts.
Industry analysts note that Japan’s broader tourism boom has however helped offset volatility in Chinese demand, with record total arrivals in 2025 despite the slowdown from mainland China.
Beijing, in the meantime, continues to strike a cautious tone, reiterating that improved relations depend on “concrete actions” from Tokyo, underscoring how geopolitics remains tightly intertwined with travel flows in the region.
Tourism strategists expect Japan’s inbound sector to remain resilient into 2026, supported by strong regional air connectivity, pent-up leisure demand, and continued diversification of source markets, even as Chinese group travel policy remains fluid and highly sensitive to diplomatic developments between the two countries going forward into 2027.
