Geographic Concentration of Foreign Visitors to Japan

外国人旅行者に関する新しい統計と立地ジニ係数を利用して、本研究は、外国人旅行者の宿泊先が、非常に少数の都道府県に集中していることを初めて明らかにする。その集中の程度は、日本人旅行者よりもずっと甚だしく、訪問者の国籍によっても異なる。さらに、本研究は、重力方程式を用いて、各都道府県の外国人宿泊日数の決定要因を探る。実証分析の結果からは、経済規模や距離のような伝統的な重力変数のみならず、ビザ免除措置や交通インフラ、自然、文化的要因が、一定の役割を果たしていることが示唆される。

Using new data that tabulate the number of nights spent by visitors in each prefecture and locational Gini coefficients, this study provides the first empirical evidence that foreign travelers concentrate their visits to Japan in extremely few locations. Moreover, the concentration in travel destinations is far greater for foreign travelers than for Japanese ones, and the degree of geographic concentration varies according to their nationality. In addition, this study employs gravity equations to examine the factors that determine the number of nights that foreign visitors spend in each prefecture. Empirical results suggest that visa policy, transportation infrastructure, and natural and cultural factors along with traditional gravity variables such as distance and economic size play a role in international travel to Japanese prefectures.

Published: Tanaka, Ayumu, 2022. "Geographic concentration of foreign visitors: evidence from Japan," International Journal of Economic Policy Studies, Volume 17 (2023), 211-222.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42495-022-00099-0