China Connects With Russia, Australia, Spain and Other Global Markets as International Travellers Drive Tokyo’s Record Tourism Boom with Spending Surging Nearly Ten Percent to Almost Two Hundred Thousand Yen Per Trip in 2025

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China, Russia, Australia, Spain and other global markets are helping power Tokyo’s strongest tourism recovery yet, as international travellers boosted average spending by nearly 10% to almost 200,000 yen per trip in 2025 while driving record visitor arrivals across the Japanese capital. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, longer average stays, robust leisure travel demand, and higher spending on accommodation, shopping and dining helped lift per-visitor expenditure to 199,874 yen, while Tokyo welcomed a record 28.65 million international visitors. The figures highlight the city’s growing appeal as one of the world’s leading urban tourism destinations, supported by its safety, cleanliness, hospitality and globally recognised visitor experiences.

Tokyo’s tourism economy reached another major milestone in 2025 as international visitor spending climbed to record levels, supported by strong inbound demand, longer stays, and sustained interest from travellers across Asia, Europe, North America, Russia, and Australia. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, overseas visitors spent more on accommodation, shopping, dining, and local experiences while the Japanese capital welcomed a record 28.65 million international arrivals. The findings underline Tokyo’s growing position as one of the world’s most attractive urban tourism destinations.

International tourism continued to strengthen Tokyo’s economy throughout 2025, with overseas travellers increasing their average spending and reinforcing the city’s reputation as a premier global destination. The latest Tokyo Metropolitan Government survey revealed that each foreign visitor spent an average of 199,874 yen (approximately US$1,237) during their stay. This represented a 9.6% year-on-year increase compared with 182,390 yen recorded in the previous year.

Visitors typically remained in Tokyo for around seven nights, allowing more opportunities to explore neighbourhoods, experience local culture, dine at restaurants, shop across the city, and contribute to the local tourism economy.

The survey, which covered travellers from 20 countries and regions, highlighted significant differences in visitor spending patterns while confirming Tokyo’s broad international appeal.

International Markets Supporting Tokyo’s Tourism Growth

The survey included responses from travellers representing major tourism source markets across several regions. These included:

• China – Highest average visitor spending despite a year-on-year decline.
• Spain – Lowest average visitor spending among surveyed markets.
• Russia – Represented among the international visitor markets participating in the survey.
• Australia – Continued contributing to Tokyo’s international tourism demand.
• North America – One of the major regions represented in the visitor survey.
• Western Europe – Continued providing strong inbound leisure visitors.
• Asia – Remained Tokyo’s largest source region for international arrivals.

Among every market surveyed, Chinese visitors remained the city’s biggest spenders. Each traveller from China spent an average of 267,757 yen during a stay of approximately 7.2 nights. Although this figure represented an 8.8% decline compared with the previous year, Chinese tourists still recorded the highest individual expenditure among all surveyed markets.

At the opposite end, Spanish visitors registered the lowest average spending. Travellers from Spain spent 120,009 yen per person during an average visit lasting 6.5 nights, reflecting a 25.8% decrease compared with the previous year.

Accommodation Remained the Largest Travel Expense

The survey found that accommodation continued to absorb the largest share of visitor budgets.

Average expenditure by category included:

• Accommodation: 65,199 yen
• Souvenirs and shopping: 59,970 yen
• Food and beverages: 41,428 yen

These figures illustrate how international visitors are distributing their spending across hotels, retail districts, restaurants, cafés, and local businesses, providing broad economic benefits throughout Tokyo.

The survey specifically measured spending made during each visitor’s stay in Tokyo. Costs already included in package holiday prices as well as international airfare expenses were excluded from the calculations, ensuring the results reflected local expenditure within the city.

Leisure Travel Continued to Dominate

Holidaymakers remained the backbone of Tokyo’s inbound tourism recovery.

According to the survey, 83.7% of international visitors travelled primarily for tourism and leisure, highlighting the city’s continuing global appeal for holidays, cultural exploration, shopping, entertainment, and food experiences.

The research was conducted throughout 2025 in the international departure lounges at both Haneda Airport and Narita Airport, where more than 16,000 overseas travellers completed questionnaires before departing Japan. Respondents represented visitors from Asia, North America, Western Europe, Russia, and Australia, providing a broad overview of international travel trends.

Shibuya Remained Tokyo’s Favourite Destination

Tokyo’s most famous districts continued attracting millions of overseas visitors.

For the fourth consecutive year, Shibuya remained the city’s most visited destination among international travellers. In the survey’s multiple-response question, 60.3% of respondents said they had visited the district during their stay.

Known worldwide for its youthful atmosphere, entertainment venues, shopping streets, and vibrant urban culture, Shibuya continued to dominate visitor itineraries.

Other highly visited districts included:

• Ginza, renowned for luxury shopping, dining, and premium retail experiences.
• Tokyo Station area, including Marunouchi and Nihombashi, recognised for business, heritage, shopping, and convenient transport connections.

Together, these locations remain central to Tokyo’s tourism offering and continue attracting visitors seeking a combination of modern attractions and traditional Japanese experiences.

Visitors Praised Tokyo’s Quality of Life

Beyond shopping and sightseeing, overseas travellers identified several characteristics that continue to strengthen Tokyo’s international reputation.

The most frequently praised qualities included:

• Friendly local people
• Exceptional cleanliness
• High levels of public safety

These attributes ranked ahead of several other popular features, including Tokyo’s internationally recognised cuisine, the tradition of Japanese hospitality (“omotenashi”), and the city’s image as a technologically advanced global metropolis.

Such positive visitor perceptions continue to enhance Tokyo’s competitiveness within the international tourism market.

International travellers from China, Russia, Australia, Spain and other global markets drove Tokyo’s record tourism boom in 2025, lifting average spending by nearly 10% to 199,874 yen per trip. Strong leisure demand, longer stays and higher expenditure on hotels, shopping and food supported the surge.

Record Visitor Numbers Highlight Tokyo’s Global Appeal

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, an estimated 28.65 million international visitors travelled to Tokyo during 2025, establishing a new annual record for inbound tourism.

The combination of rising visitor spending, extended stays, strong leisure demand, robust performance across key international markets including China, Spain, Russia, Australia, North America, Western Europe and Asia, together with Tokyo’s reputation for cleanliness, safety, hospitality, shopping, culture, and world-class attractions, demonstrates why the Japanese capital continues strengthening its position as one of the world’s leading urban tourism destinations while generating increasing economic benefits for local businesses and the wider visitor economy.