Geographic Concentration of Foreign Visitors to Japan

This paper provides the first evidence of geographic concentration of foreign visitors in Japan, using a new data on nights spent by foreign visitors in each region. Using locational Gini coefficients, I show that foreign visitors are more geographically concentrated than Japanese visitors and the level of geographical concentration vary across source countries. In addition, I employ gravity equations to examine the determinants of nights spent by foreign visitors in each prefecture. The results suggest that visa policy, transport infrastructure, and natural and cultural factors, as well as traditional gravity variables such as distance and economic size, play a role in international travel to Japanese prefectures.