As this year’s sakura (cherry blossom) season comes to an end in
Japan, research by Visa shows that as the cherries blossom trail drifts
from south to north, the credit card spending spree travel with it.
This underscores the allure of the sakura season, enticing visitors to follow its path across the country, Visa said.
Visa data, which delves into the spending patterns and travel
behaviours of visitors during the cherry blossom season, has revealed a
50% increase in overall inbound tourism spend, fuelled by an increase of
43% in number of transactions recorded.
Prefectures known for cultural immersion and nature-oriented tourism,
such as Kyoto, Nara, Ishikawa and Yamanashi, reported a two-fold
increase in weekly inbound visitor flow during the peak Sakura week.
This significantly outgrew Japan’s metropolitan hubs, Tokyo, and
Osaka, which saw a strong but more conservative increase of 60% to 70%
of weekly travellers during the Sakura season.
Those visiting prefectures known for nature spent more than 20% of
their budget on accommodation, with travellers preferring to dine at
their hotels or a ryokan to experience a more authentic stay.
Visitors to Tokyo and Osaka spent more than 50% of their budgets on shopping and dining.
Other points from Visa’s Sakura season survey:
- Travellers from Southeast Asia and East Asia, in particular Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong, are the top spenders.
- These travellers also reportedly enjoyed last-minute shopping
sprees, with 60% of their expenses spent shopping on the very last day
of travel, purchasing souvenirs, gifts or to take advantage of duty-free
shopping.
- The Philippines led the region with the highest growth rate of 66%
in terms of total payment volumes. Vietnam registered the highest uplift
of 22% in terms of spend per card, particularly at department stores,
pharmacies, high-end and jewellery stores.