Japanese Tourists in Europe

Abstract

This paper examines the geographical dimensions of Japanese travel to Europe at a range of spatial scales. Travel to the region is set within the context of all outbound travel from Japan, and then country preferences within Europe are considered in terms of Main Destination Ratios. The distribution of demand within individual countries is then analysed through the use of Lorenz curves and by plotting the regional patterns of bednights for Japanese tourists and all visitors. Japanese demand was found to be highly concentrated, particularly in the major metropolitan regions, the level of concentration and the focus on urban areas being greater than for all international visitors.