Leveraging the Post-Pandemic Boom in Senior Tourism in Japan: A New Approach to Digital Strategy

In the wake of Japan’s recent decision to reclassify COVID-19 as a Category 5 infectious disease — similar to influenza — a sense of normalcy is returning. This move has triggered an unexpected wave of ‘revenge travel’ among Japan’s senior population. As evident from the Japan Tourism Agency’s ‘Travel and Tourism Consumption Trends Survey’, these silver-haired tourists have massive economic potential, long constrained by the pandemic.

In 2019, pre-pandemic, Japanese seniors aged 60 and above spent more than 3.8 trillion yen on domestic tourism. However, the advent of the pandemic in 2020 slashed this to a mere 1.32 trillion yen, slipping further to 1.15 trillion yen in 2021. Though 2022 saw a mild recovery to 2.27 trillion yen, this only represents about 70% of pre-pandemic spending. Now, as Japan opens up, it is anticipated that senior tourism expenditure could return to its pre-COVID levels.

Seniors offer more than economic value to Japan’s tourism sector. Their flexible schedules allow them to travel during off-peak periods, helping to offset the discrepancy between peak and off-peak occupancy for accommodation providers.

However, seniors represent one of the least digitized demographic groups. They often struggle with online…