GHA's CEO summit in Japan revealed key trends in hospitality in Japan market & loyalty. When choosing hotels, Japanese travelers prioritize quality accommodation, convenient location, and affordability. High-end customers also value amenities and room size. Loyalty program members appreciate membership rates, discounts, and rewards, while high-end customers also seek emotional experiences and high-quality service.
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Global Hotel AllianceGlobal Hotel Alliance (GHA), a network of independent hotel brands, unveiled significant Japanese travel and tourism trends for 2024 during its global CEO conference last week.
Hosted in Japan for the first time, over 40 CEOs from GHA hotel brands convened in Tokyo to discuss Japanese travelers’ preferences and behaviors.
Insights and data, derived from GHA Discovery—a multi-brand loyalty program with 340,000 members in Japan—were presented by GHA CEO Chris Hartley, Minor Hotel Group CEO Dillip Rajakarier, and Pan Pacific Hotels Group CEO Choe Peng Sum. The top international destinations for Japanese GHA Discovery members in 2024 are the US and Thailand, followed by Singapore, based on nights stayed and spending.
Japan remains the most favored inbound destination among GHA Discovery’s global membership of 27 million. For 2024, the US is the leading source market, followed by Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
A recent survey by Interbrand Japan, in collaboration with GHA, revealed that international travel from Japan is recovering slowly. Outbound travel data for 2023 shows Japanese travelers reaching only half of the 2019 total, indicating slower recovery compared to domestic travel. Additionally, 74% of respondents do not plan to travel internationally in 2024, citing high prices, a weak Yen, and uncertainty.
Japanese tourists traveling abroad seek new experiences (45% of respondents) and prefer sightseeing and shopping (42%) over familiar and secure experiences or hotel relaxation. Safety, comfort, and affordability are key factors in their destination choices, with high-end customers desiring adventurous experiences.
When choosing hotels, Japanese travelers prioritize quality accommodation, convenient location, and affordability. High-end customers also value amenities and room size.
Loyalty program members appreciate membership rates, discounts, and rewards, while high-end customers also seek emotional experiences and high-quality service.
Interbrand Japan’s focus group study highlighted affluent travelers who, contrary to the general trend, are less concerned about safety and more motivated by unique, local experiences. They prefer independent hotels with local charm and value loyalty benefits like upgrades and early check-in/late checkout. Destinations such as Budapest, Rome, Prague, and mountainous areas in the US and Switzerland are popular among these travelers.
The GHA CEO event in Tokyo marked the alliance’s 20th anniversary. Since its inception in 2004, GHA has grown to include 40 brands with over 800 hotels, resorts, and palaces in 100 countries.
Source: GHA
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