2026 Golden Week Parking Searches Show 'Localization' Trend: 81.8% Within Same Prefecture, Search Distance Shortens

Parking Science Inc. (Headquarters: Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture; CEO: Naoya Inoue) will release the 'GW Tourism Movement Heatmap 2026,' which visualizes parking search data, at 'LBM EXPO2026' to be held on June 4 and 5, 2026.

An analysis of data from the parking search service operated by the company showed that the number of searches during the 2026 Golden Week period (April 24 to May 11) increased by 19.0% compared to the normal period (April 3 to April 20).

Further analysis revealed that the distance between the search location and the destination location became shorter than during the normal period, and the proportion of searches within the same prefecture also increased.

19.0% Increase in Search Volume During Golden Week

Parking search demand increased nationwide, confirming a rise in the need for outings by car.

Search Distance Reduced by Approximately 46%

Analysis of the distance between the search location and the destination location showed:

Average distance during normal period: 80 km

Average distance during Golden Week: 43 km

This represents a reduction of approximately 46%.

Looking at the median values:

Normal period: 4.6 km

Golden Week: 3.1 km

This confirms an increase in short-distance searches.

81.8% of Searches Within the Same Prefecture

Comparing the search origin and destination by prefecture:

Normal period: 78.3%

Golden Week: 81.8%

The proportion of searches within the same prefecture increased.

Searches Over 50 km Away

Normal period: 13.2%

Golden Week: 10.4%

Searches Over 100 km Away

Normal period: 8.6%

Golden Week: 6.2%

The proportion of long-distance searches decreased.

Results Suggesting a 'Cheap, Close, Short' Preference

Generally, Golden Week is associated with long-distance travel for homecoming or vacations.

However, this analysis confirmed:

・Shorter search distances ・Increased searches within the same prefecture ・Decreased proportion of long-distance searches

This may be due to increased demand for nearby leisure activities and local tourism against the backdrop of high prices, concerns over fuel costs, and rising overseas travel expenses.

'Post-Arrival Behavior' Invisible in People Flow Data

While people flow data shows 'where people are,' parking search data shows 'where they are trying to park.'

Parking Science positions this data as 'post-arrival behavior data' and is researching its potential applications in tourism, transportation, and location-based businesses.

Exhibition at LBM EXPO2026

The following exhibits are planned at the venue:

・GW Tourism Movement Heatmap video ・Comparison between normal period and Golden Week period ・Search distance analysis results ・Search trends by region

Visitors can experience movement and parking behavior during the Golden Week period from a perspective different from people flow data.

Exhibition Overview

Exhibition Name: 3rd Location Business & Marketing EXPO 2026 (LBM EXPO2026) Dates: June 4 (Thu) and 5 (Fri), 2026 Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Hamamatsucho Hall, 5F Organizer: LBMA Japan

Company Overview

Company Name: Parking Science Inc.

Established: September 2022

Headquarters: 3-2-1 Katase, Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture

CEO: Naoya Inoue

Business Activities

・Planning and operation of the free parking search app with point reward function 'P-Collection' ・Development and provision of the area marketing analysis system 'Park-Labo' for parking lot businesses ・Development and provision of P-Collection affiliated services ・Provision of P-Collection API and parking lot database services

Contact Information

Parking Science Inc.

TEL: 070-1544-7772 (Contact: Inoue)

Email: [email protected]

URL: https://www.parkingscience.net/