TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The number of holidaymakers traveling domestically in Japan and abroad in the upcoming Golden Week holiday period starting late April is expected to drop 6.9 percent from a year earlier to 23.45 million due largely to rising living costs, according to a major travel agency.

Although traveler numbers increased in recent years after the coronavirus pandemic, there is also a growing trend of holidaymakers opting to avoid crowds and taking their vacations outside Golden Week, which falls between April 26 and May 6 this year, JTB Corp. said.

The number of travelers will likely remain at around 90 percent of the pre-COVID level, with domestic travel down 7.2 percent from 2024 to 22.9 million, while overseas travel rising 10.0 percent from last year to 550,000, the firm said.

Destinations closer in proximity such as South Korea and Taiwan are proving popular due to the weaker yen, JTB said.

In JTB's survey of people with travel plans during the period, planned spending per person for a domestic trip is expected to average 36,600 yen ($255), up 1.4 percent from the previous year, while that for a person traveling overseas will average 268,000 yen, down 0.4 percent, it said.

JTB made the traveler number estimates based on an online survey in March of 1,846 people who planned a trip of one night or longer. The period covered for the survey is 13 days from April 25 to May 7, expanded by two days from past surveys.