Residents in Japan spent a total of ¥9.12 trillion on domestic tourism in 2021 — the lowest since comparable figures became available in 2010, affected by the spread of the coronavirus — preliminary government data showed Wednesday.

The sum was 8.5% less than the previous year, with the travel industry continuing to be impacted as the government implemented COVID-19 emergency measures and could not restart its domestic tourism subsidy campaign.

The number of domestic tourists in 2021 fell 9% to 267 million, also a record low, according to the data released by the Japan Tourism Agency.

Travelers spent ¥6.91 trillion on hotels and other forms of lodging in Japan, down 11%, while there was a 0.2% increase in domestic day trips, amounting to ¥2.21 trillion.

The average amount spent per person on a trip, including accommodation, transport and food, was up 1.1% at ¥48,876. But overall spending in the accommodation sector shrank as there was a 12% fall in the number of those who stayed at hotels and inns.

The average amount spent on a day trip was ¥17,564, up 5.9% from 2020. It was also the highest since 2010, suggesting that consumers preferred eating and shopping closer to home.