As soon as thought-about area of interest pursuits, anime and comics have advanced into a worldwide journey power, with followers more and more crossing borders in the hunt for immersive themed experiences, customs, and real-world areas associated to their favourite sequence.
From themed resorts to large-scale fan occasions, it is identified in Japan as an “anime pilgrimage.” seichi junrei – Anime tourism is booming throughout Asia.
Searches for anime and comedian book-related journey experiences in Asia elevated 195% 12 months over 12 months, pushed primarily by vacationers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and South Korea, in line with new information from Journey.com.
This development was mirrored within the Anime Japan 2026 competition in Tokyo, the place Journey.com reported that worldwide ticket gross sales elevated 697% year-on-year and attracted vacationers from 82 international locations and territories. Most vacationers come from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Singapore, with Gen Z and Millennial vacationers dominating demand.
Asian anime revival
Anime has been round for many years, however social media and on-line streaming companies have helped it burst onto the screens of mainstream audiences. Collection corresponding to One Piece, Demon Slayer, and Naruto dominate world streaming charts and have followers everywhere in the world.
A report from streaming service Crunchyroll discovered that 54% of Gen Z respondents price anime favorably, surpassing in style celebrities corresponding to Dangerous Bunny, BLACKPINK, and BTS. Even F1 drivers are getting caught up within the craze, corresponding to Charles Leclerc and his love of Pokemon.
anime conventions and festivals
The demand for world conventions and festivals is driving the expansion of the anime group, and information from Crunchyroll exhibits that followers are most definitely to have interaction with anime in individual, typically by discussing it with associates, slightly than on-line. Journey.com information additionally revealed a rise in bookings for resorts inside 3 kilometers of the upcoming anime competition.
Particularly, Hong Kong Comedian Con 2026 is attracting the eye of abroad followers from mainland China and Southeast Asia. Primarily based on Journey.com’s ticket gross sales information, greater than 8 out of 10 ticket consumers are Gen Z and Millennials, proving the recognition of anime tradition amongst this age group. Greater than 80% of ticket gross sales had been to ladies, highlighting the style’s rising attraction amongst this viewers group.
In Japan, main manga and anime occasions corresponding to Comiket are held twice a 12 months and entice a passionate fan base. In Odaiba, which can host the 2026 Summer season Comiket in August, resort reservations through the occasion interval elevated by 78% in comparison with the earlier 12 months.
Pokémon GO Fest 2026, the favored cell sport’s tenth anniversary occasion in Odaiba, can also be trending on Journey.Pulse, an inventory of the newest journey traits and sizzling matters based mostly on Journey.com information, with over 630,000 views.
Anime set jet, occasions, experiences
The affect of anime tradition extends past attending occasions to journey habits to a broader vary of locations. Increasingly followers are visiting real-life areas featured in anime, manga, and associated motion pictures.
The report discovered that 70% of vacationers throughout Asia are motivated to go to a vacation spot based mostly on what they see. In the meantime, the Japan Instances reported that in line with a survey by the Japan Tourism Company, the variety of overseas vacationers visiting locations named after motion pictures and anime elevated from 4.6% in 2019 to 7.5% in 2023.
Standard locations embody the railroad crossing close to Kamakura Koukomae Station, made well-known by the basketball manga sequence Slam Dunk. This intersection attracts not solely native spectators but additionally worldwide followers.
Akihabara and Ikebukuro, referred to as otaku tradition hotspots, have seen a median improve of 10% in resort bookings on Journey.com in comparison with the earlier 12 months. It’s primarily attracting vacationers from South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, in addition to Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Followers and vacationers not solely need to go to these areas, however additionally they search deeper, extra immersive cultural experiences, from lodging to deliberate actions throughout their journeys.
For instance, the newly opened themed glamping rooms at The Farm Resort in Katori invite guests to step into the fantasy world of the favored anime and manga sequence Freelen via bodily photograph spots and monuments that recreate memorable scenes all through the campsite.
