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Anime fans boost tourism across Asia with pilgrimages to attractions

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · · 696 words · By Michael Starling
Anime Tourism Gen Z and Millennial Consumer Behavior Asian Travel Trends
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What to know about Anime Tourism

An anime-inspired ‘set-jetting’ travel trend is surging in Asia, with Trip.com reporting a 195% year-on-year rise in searches for anime and comic-related tourism experiences.

Claims checked 17
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

An anime-inspired ‘set-jetting’ travel trend is surging in Asia, with Trip.com reporting a 195% year-on-year rise in searches for anime and comic-related tourism experiences.

Why it matters

Once viewed as a niche interest, anime and comics have evolved into a global travel driver, with fans increasingly crossing borders in search of immersive themed experiences, conventions and real-world locations linked to their favourite series.

Common ground

From themed hotels to major fan events, so-called “anime pilgrimages” – known in Japan as seichi junrei – are fuelling a growing boom in anime tourism across Asia.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/travel/2026/05/23/anime-effect-fans-boost-tourism-acros…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 8
schedule Pending 7
info Single Source 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “Pokémon GO Fest 2026, a 10th anniversary celebration of the popular mobile game in Odaiba, is also trending on Trip.Pulse... with more than 630,000 views”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 2: “at the AnimeJapan 2026 festival in Tokyo, with Trip.com reporting that international ticket sales rose by 697% year-on-year, attracting travellers from 82 countries and regions”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources confirm that Trip.com reported a 697% YoY increase in international ticket sales for AnimeJapan 2026 and that travelers came from 82 countries and regions.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · ... AnimeJapan 2026 in Tokyo - Trip.com's international ticket sales jumped 697% YoY. Travellers spanned across 82 countries and regions, with a ...
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-anime-effect-ho…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 26, 2026 · As the exclusive overseas ticketing partner for AnimeJapan 2026 in Tokyo, we saw international ticket sales surge 697% year on year, with ...
https://skift.com/2026/04/26/trip-com-group-on-why-going-glo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · Trip.com, which served as the exclusive overseas ticketing partner for AnimeJapan 2026 in Tokyo, reported a 697% year-on-year increase in ...
https://www.traveldailynews.asia/special-interest-travel/ani…
info
Claim 3: “Crunchyroll data finding that fans are most likely to engage with anime by discussing it with friends, often face-to-face rather than online”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for Crunchyroll discuss accessibility, shorter anime, and streaming, but do not contain data regarding face-to-face vs online engagement preferences.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oct 16, 2022 ... The accessibility of anime on services like Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll ... Evangelion on Netflix is a disservice for anime fans, says Funimation ...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/236351090354884/posts/108761…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oct 14, 2024 ... I much prefer reading manga than watching anime because the pacing is so slow and Japanese is one of the longest verbal languages. What can be ...
https://www.reddit.com/r/animenews/comments/1g3thq9/crunchyr…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 28, 2026 ... And it's just good to see fans realizing we actually need to own something. If I'm being real, streaming made me comfortable, and most people ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWc-2-zjG5Q/
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Claim 4: “More than eight in 10 ticket buyers [for Hong Kong Comic Con 2026] are Gen Z and Millennials, based on Trip.com's ticket sales data”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm that over 8 in 10 (or 80%) of ticket buyers for Hong Kong Comic Con 2026 are Gen Z and Millennials.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · Highly popular among Gen Zs and Millennials, more than half of ticket buyers were aged between 25 to 34 years old, and over half were male. But ...
https://www.contentasia.tv/news/anime-reshapes-travel-across…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... Hong Kong Comic Con 2026, in particular, has gained the attention ... Over 8 in 10 ticket buyers are Gen Zs and Millennials, based on Trip ...
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-anime-effect-ho…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Based on Trip.com's ticketing data, over 80% of ticket buyers are from Generation Z and Millennials, with females accounting for more than 80%, indicating ...
https://www.futunn.com/en/stock/TCOM-US
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Claim 5: “searches for anime and comic-related travel experiences in Asia surged by 195% year-on-year, led largely by travellers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines and South Korea”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm the 195% YoY surge and specify that it was driven by travelers from Hong Kong and other Asian regions.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — June 2021 was the sixth month of that common year. The month, which began on a Tuesday, ended on a Wednesday after 30 days.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events/June_202…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... 195% YoY surge in searches for anime and comic-related travel experiences across Asia ... predominantly from travellers in the Hong Kong and ...
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-anime-effect-ho…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... Data from Trip.com shows a 195% year-on-year surge in searches for anime- and comic-related travel experiences, driven primarily by travellers ...
https://www.businesstraveller.com/news/anime-tourism-asia-tr…
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Claim 6: “Trip.com reporting a 195% year-on-year rise in searches for anime and comic-related tourism experiences”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results (LinkedIn, and two other news-style reports) confirm Trip.com reported a 195% spike/surge in searches for anime and comic-related experiences.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · Trip.com's latest data shows a growing demand for anime and comic-related experiences when travelling, with a 195% spike in searches for anime ...
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/anime-effect-how-fans-travell…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · Trip.com's latest data shows a growing demand for anime and comic-related experiences when travelling, with a 195% spike in searches for anime ...
https://pressreleasehub.pa.media/article/the-anime-effect-ho…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · Anime is no longer just something fans watch — it's something they travel for. Trip.com data shows a 195% surge in anime and comic-related ...
https://www.facebook.com/resonatevoices/posts/anime-is-no-lo…
schedule
Claim 7: “a Japan Tourism Agency survey showed that foreign visitors to places associated with movies and anime increased from 4.6% in 2019 to 7.5% in 2023, The Japan Times reported”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 8: “Odaiba, which will be home to Summer Comiket 2026 in August, is seeing a 78% YoY increase in hotel bookings during the event period”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 9: “Comiket are held twice a year”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding the frequency of Comiket events.
schedule
Claim 10: “the railway crossing near Kamakura-Koko-mae Station, made famous by the basketball manga series Slam Dunk”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 11: “Most visitors [to AnimeJapan 2026] came from mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that a large majority of visitors to AnimeJapan 2026 came from mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Singapore.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 6 days ago · Travellers spanned across 82 countries and regions, with a large majority coming from Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore. Highly ...
https://www.sahmcapital.com/news/content/the-anime-effect-ho…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · Travellers spanned across 82 countries and regions, with a large majority coming from Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore. Highly ...
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-anime-effect-ho…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Hong Kong, and China fuel Asia's anime tourism surge with soaring Gen Z travel demand in 2026.
https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/i2ugckq1lqvz…
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Claim 12: “A report by streaming service Crunchyroll found that anime was rated favourably by 54% of Gen Z respondents, beating out popular celebrities like Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK and BTS”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources cite a Crunchyroll report stating that 54% of Gen Z respondents rated anime more favorably than celebrities like Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, and BTS.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... In fact, a report by Crunchyroll has shown that anime was rated favourably by 54% of Gen Z respondents, beating out popular celebrities like Bad ...
https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/anime-effect-fans-travelli…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jan 10, 2026 ... Highly popular among Gen Zs and Millennials, more than half of ticket buyers were aged between 25 to 34 years old, and over half were males[2].
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTWYHxoiT2Q/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nov 10, 2025 ... ... report by Crunchyroll has shown that anime was rated ... Z respondents, beating out popular celebrities like Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK and BTS.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ4SVu8AiZ5/
schedule
Claim 13: “Akihabara and Ikebukuro... have seen an average YoY increase of 10% in hotel bookings on Trip.com compared to the year before”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 14: “newly-launched themed glamping rooms at The Farm resort in Katori invite visitors to step into the fantasy world of Frieren”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 15: “Women constitute more than 80% of ticket sales [for Hong Kong Comic Con 2026]”
CORROBORATED
The FUTUBULL source explicitly states that for Hong Kong Comic Con 2026, females accounted for more than 80% of ticket sales. While only one source explicitly mentions the percentage, it corroborates the claim found in the original text.
check_circle
Claim 16: “Trip.com data also revealed that hotel bookings made within three kilometres of upcoming anime festivals have increased during the duration of the event”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm that Trip.com data showed an increase in hotel bookings within a 3km radius of anime festivals/venues during the events.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · Akihabara and Ikebukuro, known as meccas for otaku culture, has seen an average YoY increase of 10% in hotel bookings on Trip.com compared to ...
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-anime-effect-ho…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 13, 2026 · Data from Trip.com also shows that hotel bookings within a 3-kilometer radius of the venue have increased by 20% during the event period ...
https://news.futunn.com/en/post/73069023/tripcom-data-anime-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · Trip.com data showed that hotel bookings within three kilometres of major anime festivals increased significantly during event periods ...
https://www.traveldailynews.asia/special-interest-travel/ani…
schedule
Claim 17: “Reports have found that 70% of travellers across Asia are inspired to visit destinations based on what they have been watching”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.