Wealthy tourists unfazed by pricey tripsPedestrians cross an intersection in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. (Photo: Bloomberg)Increased hotel room prices and living expenses in Japan will not significantly affect tourists with high purchasing power as they usually demand premium services, but the outbound market could slow based on seasonality. Chotechuang Soorangura, vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, said expensive room rates have been an issue in many countries, not only Japan. The outbound market from late May until August is expected to slow as this period is usually a low season for Thai tourists. While the local tourism industry faces a labour shortage, he said the outbound market is fine as Thai tour guides with Japanese language skills are sufficient.
