JAPAN’S ‘SOLO SOCIETY’…
In Japan, the ‘Solo Society’ is growing rapidly. The number of single-person households is rising, and this figure is predicted to grow to around 50% of the population by 2040. The reasons include: the growing number of elderly widows/widowers; plus younger people choosing not to get married. Interestingly, 23.5% of males and 14.1% of females aged 50 in Japan had never married. Source: https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c0117.html
Affectionately known as the “ohitorisama” society (solo society) in Japan, it includes people who live by themselves, as well as those who choose to do activities by themselves rather than as part of a group of family or friends. Activities may include: dining, travel, entertainment, shopping, fitness, and more. Here is an interesting article on this topic.
SOLO TRAVEL ‘Hitoritabi’
Solo travel is a growing trend globally, and Japan seems to be in line with many other Asian countries. Essentially, these people want to escape from the stress of their densely populated city life.
Solo travel is chosen for “me-time”, rather than just for relaxation and exploration. Solo travellers want freedom, but at the same time, they are looking forward to encounters with new people, and new experiences. Some may enjoy solitude, but others don’t want to be completely on their own for fear of loneliness. Pursuing their own interests seems to be the key to the solo traveller’s travel plans.
Hotels.com conducted a survey in Japan with 600 men and women in their 20’s to 50’s, 53% of them favoured ‘solo travel’.
Other popular responses were:
- "there is no need to think about anyone else" (58%)
- "I can go where I want to go" (51%)
- "I want to go sightseeing at my own pace" (51%).
Source: https://www.hotelier.jp/inboundnews/data/20190802.html
NEW ZEALAND – a ‘low risk destination’ for solo travellers
Japanese people tend to be ‘risk conscious’, so the following New Zealand ‘assets’ should appeal to the ‘solo travel’ market in Japan once the borders open up between the two countries.
· Outside of Japan, New Zealand is one of the safest destinations in the world. (low personal risk)
· New Zealand people have a reputation as being hospitable and friendly. (low social risk)
· New Zealand offers amazing multi-cultural experiences, in the form of tours, activities, dining, and shopping. (low purchase risk)
· New Zealand’s COVID-19 response is well respected in Japan. (low health risk)
Many years ago, a Japanese media outlet referred to New Zealand as being a 地球の箱庭 ‘chikyuu no hakoniwa’, which roughly translates as ‘a miniascape of the world’. In the same way that a bonsai tree is a miniature version of a large tree, New Zealand can be seen as a condensed version of many unique geographical features within the world. And most importantly, many of these are easily accessible for solo travellers via a range of day tours and managed attractions. Coupled with the range of soft-adventure to hard-adventure activities, cultural experiences, film-related experiences, and other activities which may ‘flick the switch’ for a solo traveller, New Zealand is well poised to capture the attention of future ‘solo travellers’.
Businesses that offer various languages via guides or apps will be popular amongst solo travellers. Likewise, accommodation providers that offer translated digital content and other information for customers will be provide the solo traveller with more confidence.
‘Solo Travellers’ - food-for-thought for tourism businesses….
