Tokyo, March 31, 2015 - Rakuten Travel (https://travel.rakuten.co.jp), a travel booking service of Rakuten, today announced the domestic travel booking status during the Golden Week (GW) period (April 29, 2015 – May 6, 2015).
Summary of Domestic Travel Trends During GW Period, 2015
Period: April 29, 2015 (Wednesday, national holiday) – May 6, 2015 (Wednesday, national holiday)
Summary:
Domestic accommodation:
+58.4% year-on-year
By accommodation area:
Ranking by year-on-year growth:
1st Niigata Prefecture (+113.7% year-on-year)
2nd Ibaraki Prefecture (+104.6% year-on-year)
3rd Toyama Prefecture (+102.4% year-on-year)
Ranking by popularity:
1st Tokyo
2nd Okinawa Prefecture
3rd Hokkaido
Unit price of accommodations:
+8.9% year-on-year (per person per night, excluding consumption tax)
Peak of departure for domestic travel:
May 3, 2015 (Sunday, national holiday)
Domestic Travel Topics
Improvements in travel convenience, such as the operation of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, contribute to record highs in each area
The launch of operations for the Hokuriku Shinkansen on March 14 has contributed to the strong performance of areas mostly in the Hokuriku area, including Niigata Prefecture (+113.7% year-on-year), Toyama Prefecture (+102.4% year-on-year), Ishikawa Prefecture (+102.3% year-on-year), and Nagano Prefecture (+95.3% year-on-year). In Ishikawa Prefecture, car rental demand has surged by 106.8% year-on-year, with a growing trend of users who enjoy touring across a wide area by car. Noto, Wajima, Suzu, and the surrounding areas, which were used as the settings for NHK’s serial television novels, are also highly popular, recording growth of 84.0% year-on-year. Ibaraki Prefecture, which ranks second for year-on-year growth, registered 104.6% year-on-year growth. This growth was propelled by smoother access to the Tokyo Metropolitan area, resulting from the start of direct connections to Shinagawa Station by the Joban Line along with the launch of the Ueno Tokyo Line, as well as the use of Ibaraki Prefecture as an accommodations area for travelers using LCCs arriving and departing from Ibaraki Airport.
Trends toward taking longer holidays and traveling further, due to the good timing of the holiday period. Increased popularity for round-trip tours in the Kyushu and Tohoku areas
The good timing of the second half of the GW this year has provided holidaymakers with five consecutive days off (May 2, 2015 (Sat) – May 6, 2015 (Wed, national holiday)), resulting in a stronger trend to take longer holidays and travel further. Data on accommodation bookings for consecutive nights in the eight districts*1 shows significant growth, with 69.6% year-on-year growth in round-trip tours that involve crossing several prefectures within the eight districts, as well as 76.9% year-on-year growth in round-trip tours with three consecutive nights’ stay or longer within the eight districts. Furthermore, figures for each district showed 64.9% increase for the Kyushu area*2 and 51.5% increase for the Tohoku area*3. Round-trip tours can be made by Shinkansen for both of these areas. Next, with regard to destinations by the type of accommodation booked, long-distance destinations are performing well. Travelers departing from Tokyo are traveling to Yamaguchi Prefecture (+174.6% year-on-year), Niigata Prefecture (+166.8% year-on-year), and Yamagata Prefecture (+155.5% year-on-year), while travelers departing from Osaka are traveling to Ibaraki Prefecture (+786.1% year-on-year), Gunma Prefecture (+223.6% year-on-year), and Fukushima Prefecture (+191.7% year-on-year). The peak for accommodation will hit on May 3, 2015.
Commemorative events for the 1200th anniversary of the opening of Mount Koya (Wakayama Prefecture) draw crowds of tourists
Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture, which celebrates the 1200th anniversary of its opening this year, is drawing attention from both domestic and foreign tourists. The areas surrounding Mount Koya*4 are showing a boom in travel bookings, with 116.6% year-on-year growth. Many events will be held during the GW period, including the first opening of the Buddha enshrined in the Kondo (Golden Hall) to the public, and the first public display of the Buddha enshrined in the Kongobu-ji in 16 years. These are expected to generate even greater excitement closer to the date.
Ranking of top 10 destinations in order of the largest increase in number of accommodation bookings
*Calculated based on the number of bookings as of March 15 2015, by number of people and days, and compared year-on-year
Rank Prefecture Year-on-year growth
1st Niigata +113.7%
2nd Ibaraki +104.6%
3rd Toyama +102.4%
4th Ishikawa +102.3%
5th Gunma +101.1%
6th Wakayama +98.2%
7th Nagano +95.3%
8th Tochigi +94.4%
9th Yamanashi +91.6%
10th Yamagata +89.7%
Ranking of top 10 popular destinations by number of accommodation bookings
*Calculated based on the number of bookings as of March 15, 2015
2015 rank
(Previous year rank) Prefecture
1st (→1st) Tokyo
2nd (→2nd) Okinawa
3rd (→3rd) Hokkaido
4th (→4th) Osaka
5th (↑7th) Chiba
6th (↑9th) Shizuoka
7th (↓5th) Kanagawa
8th (↓6th) Fukuoka
9th (↑13rd) Nagano
10th (↓8th) Kyoto
Domestic travel trends survey
Calculations based on the number of people and days booked as of March 15, 2015, and compared year-on-year.
- Period examined (number of people and days): April 29, 2015 (Wed, national holiday) – May 6, 2015 (Wed, national holiday)
- Services examined: Domestic accommodation, ANA Raku Pack, JAL Raku Pack
Car rental trends survey
Calculations based on the number of bookings as of March 15, 2015, and compared year-on-year.
- Period examined (return date of the car): April 29, 2015 (Wed, national holiday) – May 6, 2015 (Wed, national holiday)
*1 Eight districts: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu (including Okinawa)
*2 Kyushu area: Fukuoka Prefecture, Saga Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture, Oita Prefecture, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kagoshima Prefecture, Okinawa Prefecture
*3 Tohoku area: Aomori Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, Akita Prefecture, Yamagata Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture
*4 Hashimoto and Mount Koya area