Inside Travel Group says the first quarter of 2025 was its best so far for small group tours to Japan, with sales up 54% on the previous year.
Richard Farmer, Small Group Tours Manager for Inside Travel Group’s InsideJapan brand, said: “The popularity of Japan has been incredible over the last three years alone and everyone wants to go.
“Group tours have a certain image – big groups of people; flag waving tour guides; tourist bubble coach trips; inflexibility and no free time – but this is very much not the case with InsideJapan’s tours.
“Our tours are small with a maximum of 14 people which, together with our specialist knowledge, enables us to do so much more, such as travel largely by local train, stay at a combination of traditional ryokan accommodation as well as hotels, a huge range of intimate cultural experiences and a whole lot of inclusions.
“Our Insider tour leaders are essential to the success of the tours, helping visitors navigate issues of overtourism both geographically and culturally, getting people ‘beneath the surface’ and making the most out of their time in Japan.”
In response to demand for small group tours, sister brand InsideAsia launched its first tour to South Korea this year, while InsideJapan has launched ‘off peak’ seasonal pricing with up to 15% off tours travelling outside of the popular spring and autumn seasons.
Agents who join Inside Travel’s Agent Insider Programme have the chance to earn one of 10 places on a tour.
Picture shows guests on a Kyoto tour meeting a Geisha
