Record visitor numbers in Fiji and Japan show families are chasing value in memories, not bargains. Could this shift reflect a key Australian travel trend for 2025, where experiences are becoming more valued than ever?
Record numbers in Fiji and Japan
Australia’s love affair with Fiji and Japan has officially reached record levels. According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation, more than one million Australians visited Japan between July 2024 and June 2025, marking the first time that number has ever cracked seven digits. Over in the Pacific, Fiji has posted its biggest tourist month in history, welcoming nearly 100,000 visitors in July 2025 alone. Almost half of them were Australian.
Are families really spending more?
On paper, neither destination screams “budget-friendly.” Japan has longish flights, jam-packed itineraries, and the temptation of bullet trains and ski passes. Fiji is home to some of the South Pacific’s most luxurious resorts. Yet families are going in record numbers and they’re going back for more.
Tourism numbers don’t lie: Australians are putting their money where their passports are. Visitor spending in Fiji alone was estimated at $343 million in July, while Japan is seeing average family stays of almost two weeks. Clearly, families aren’t just travelling, they’re investing in travel.
Could this surge be part of a wider pattern in Australian travel trends in 2025, where families are choosing experiences that feel worthwhile over budget options that leave them short on memories?
Fiji offers ease and reconnection
Fiji offers ease, warmth, and built-in family infrastructure. It’s the kind of place where parents can drop the kids at a club, paddle out for a snorkel, and reunite at dinner with stories to swap. Even in a record-breaking month, the islands still feel spacious, thanks to 333 different places to spread visitors out. That sense of privacy and simplicity is priceless for parents needing to recharge.
>> Read next: Treasure Island Fiji Resort Review: Is This Family-Friendly Island Worth It?
Japan offers energy and discovery
Japan, on the other hand, thrives on the opposite: energy, stimulation, and variety. Families may start in Tokyo, but as kids grow older, trips expand to hot springs, ski fields, and history lessons in Hiroshima. The journey becomes as much about broadening horizons as it is about fun. Apartment hotels like MIMARU and MONday show that the industry is adapting, creating spaces that work for families who want both city buzz and room to breathe.
The real value of family travel
In the end, the spending surge in both destinations says less about luxury and more about priorities. Families are making deliberate choices to invest in holidays that deliver memories, learning, and connection. They’re not looking for the cheapest option – they’re looking for the richest return. And right now, Fiji and Japan are delivering exactly that.
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