As a result of the increasing price competition that travel agents and airline companies are involved in, as well as the tendency these days for Japanese travelers to be more careful with their spending, the average amount spent on overseas travel has been decreasing. In 1996 the average amount was 361,000 yen, but over the next few years the figures fell continuously; for instance, in 1997 it dropped to 331,000 yen, a decrease of 30,000 yen. After that it sank to 327,000 yen in 1998, and 326,000 yen in 1999, almost no drop, but in 2000 it went down suddenly to 309,000 yen.