How does tourism differ among generations? Tourists from the United States and their willingness to visit Japan

Abstract This study focuses on the demand-side of tourism. Previous demand-side research has mainly examined outbound tourism of Japanese, while few have looked at inbound. This paper aims to identify differences between five generations of tourists, from tourists in their 1920s to 1960s. A survey was conducted with American tourists. Factor analysis and ordered probit analysis show there are generation gaps regarding factors influencing inbound tourism to Japan. The findings of the study illustrate each generation has different factors influencing their tourism decisions, and indicate people involved in marketing destinations need to consider each generation separately.