JTB Tourism Research & Consulting's latest "Smartphone Usage and Travel Consumption Survey (2025)" reveals that 70% of Japanese travelers now book travel products via smartphone, marking the highest rate since the survey began in 2013. This milestone underscores the rapid digital transformation sweeping through Japan's travel industry.

The survey, conducted in November 2025, polled 10,000 respondents aged 18-69 across Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka metropolitan areas. Among the 1,030 respondents who had traveled domestically within the past year and used smartphones, the data reveals significant shifts in traveler behavior patterns.

Generative AI Emerges as Primary Information Source, Tripling Year-Over-Year

The most striking finding is the explosive growth of generative AI usage. The percentage of people using generative AI for travel information searches surged from 9.7% in 2024 to 28.8% in 2025, a nearly 20-percentage-point jump representing roughly triple growth. This shift signals a fundamental transformation in how Japanese travelers gather trip-planning information.

Traditional communication functions like messaging, email, and news apps saw declining usage rates across the board. Instead, video and image-sharing platforms, streaming TV, and movies gained ground. Interestingly, map apps and video-based search methods, highlighted as emerging trends in last year's survey, experienced slight declines, suggesting generative AI is dominating the information landscape.

AI Travel Services Expand, Usage Rate Approaches 60%

Overall AI service usage reached 58.7%, up approximately 10 percentage points from the previous year. The top desired AI services for travel destinations include "restaurant and gourmet information searches" (29.6%), "language translation" (25.1%), and "itinerary and route suggestions" (24.7%).

Demographic analysis reveals interesting patterns. Women in their 60s and 30s-40s show particularly high interest in gourmet information searches, indicating that AI adoption spans beyond just younger generations.

For unmanned services, preferences lean toward efficiency-enhancing features: "automated checkout" (32.0%), "tablet ordering" (26.9%), and "automated immigration" (19.0%) outpaced value-added services. This reflects the growing "time-performance" (タイパ) orientation among Japanese consumers, who increasingly prioritize time efficiency.

Social Media Landscape Shifts: Instagram Overtakes X

The top smartphone-accessed social platforms remain "LINE," "YouTube," "Instagram," and "X" (formerly Twitter). Notably, Instagram climbed from fourth to third place, surpassing X. Female users particularly drove X's declining usage rates, reshaping the social media power dynamics.

Among Gen Z users, "BeReal." has captured over 10% of women under 29, though it accounts for only 1.7% overall. This authentic, unfiltered social platform's growth trajectory may signal evolving preferences in how people share travel experiences.

E-Sports Participation Hits Record High, Notable Growth Among Men in Their 40s

E-sports play and viewing experience reached a record 18.0%, with men under 29 leading at 45.6%, followed by men in their 30s (36.9%) and 40s (33.0%).

Year-over-year comparisons reveal particularly significant growth in viewing among men in their 40s. Researchers attribute this to increased exposure through children's educational environments, as e-sports clubs and specialized schools have proliferated in Japan.

Interest in on-site e-sports experiences also rose, with 61.6% of men under 29, 51.3% of men in their 30s, and 48.2% of men in their 40s expressing interest. This suggests emerging potential for e-sports-centered tourism content.

Cashless Society Takes Hold, While Workation Trends Fade

When asked about lifestyle changes over the past three years, "cashless payments" topped the list by a wide margin, confirming the deep penetration of digital payment methods. "Online shopping" also showed strong growth, indicating normalized e-commerce behavior.

Pandemic-era work patterns showed mixed results. While "online meetings and conferences" persisted, "telework from travel destinations," "coworking space usage," and "remote work" all declined. This suggests the workation boom may have been temporary rather than transformative.

High-Speed Internet Demand: Surprisingly Strong Among Older Travelers

Contrary to expectations, demand for stable, high-speed internet at travel destinations proved stronger among older generations than younger ones, and among women more than men. By demographic, those in their 60s expressed the highest demand for improved connectivity.

Top locations for desired internet improvements were "trains and stations" (54.1%), "accommodation facilities" (50.8%), and "shopping malls and commercial facilities" (38.4%). Reliable connectivity during travel and at destinations has become a critical quality factor.

From "Searching" to "Consulting": A Paradigm Shift

The survey results illuminate a fundamental shift in information-gathering behavior. The rapid adoption of generative AI marks a transition from traditional "searching" to "consulting" with AI systems.

This transformation represents a pivotal moment for the travel industry. With information gathering increasingly completed within AI platforms rather than company websites, some sites have seen dramatic visitor declines. However, this also presents opportunities to suggest options travelers might not have previously imagined.

JTB Tourism Research notes that the key challenge ahead is "identifying opportunities to input appropriate information to target audiences and expand latent demand."

How Digital is Travel in Your Country?

How digitalized is travel in your country? Has smartphone booking become mainstream? Is generative AI being used for trip planning? We'd love to hear about the situation where you live.