TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The average amount spent per person for domestic travel in Japan during the New Year vacation period is expected to rise 4.9 percent from a year earlier to a record 43,000 yen ($290) due to an increase in accommodation costs, a travel agency said Thursday.

The expected amount is up 2,000 yen from the 2023/2024 holiday period in part because travelers are likely to take a longer holiday, as Dec. 28 and 29, and Jan. 4 and 5 fall on the weekend, JTB Corp. said.

While the major Japanese travel agency projects the number of domestic travelers to remain unchanged from a year earlier at 28 million people, the number is around 4 percent lower than the 2019/2020 pre-pandemic level.

The number of holidaymakers traveling abroad is expected to rise by 60,000 people to 520,000 but that is down approximately 37 percent from the 2019/2020 holiday period.

JTB's annual New Year holiday forecast is based on surveys and hotel reservations.