THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
September 24, 2022 at 17:46 JST
Japan’s decision to finally throw open its doors to foreign visitors on Oct. 11 after more than two years of pandemic-induced restrictions comes as the government announced a travel subsidy program for domestic travelers.
For foreign visitors, the current weak yen versus foreign currencies will give them more bang for their respective bucks.
The current 50,000-person limit on daily entry into Japan will be eliminated as well as the need for visas for short-term tourists. Individuals can also plan their own trips to Japan without going through travel agencies.
The visa requirement had been considered a particular hurdle for foreign tourists, but from Oct. 11 nationals from 68 nations and regions, including the United States, will no longer need visas. That will return the status to before the outbreak of COVID-19.
Government officials are also aiming to take advantage of the current weak yen to attract foreign tourists.
About the only requirement that will remain in place for foreign tourists is a negative COVID-19 test result prior to departure. But that requirement will be waived if the visitor can certify receiving three COVID-19 vaccinations.
The government will also finally implement its domestic tourism promotion measure from Oct. 11. The subsidy of as much as 40 percent of the travel cost, up to 8,000 yen ($56) per night, will apply to trips anywhere in Japan. Until now, the discount program was limited to destinations in the same or nearby prefectures.
The program is similar to the Go To Travel program implemented in 2020. Government officials were hesitant to begin the new discount program while COVID-19 cases were increasing, learning a painful lesson from the Go To Travel program which was criticized for leading to a surge in infections as people moved around the nation.
The government announced the new travel discount program in June, but delayed the start from the originally planned July date because COVID-19 cases remained high.
Those in the travel industry hope the start of the new program will encourage domestic travelers to take longer trips to destinations farther away.
Shinichi Inoue, president and CEO of All Nippon Airways Co., met with reporters on Sept. 23 at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and said, “The autumn colors season will begin mainly in Hokkaido so the timing is extremely good” for the start of the travel discount program.
The Japan Tourism Agency wants to use up the 830 billion yen set aside for the program by year-end.
(This article was written by Shinya Matsumoto, Hiromi Kumai and Sachiko Miwa.)
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