Photo/Illutration Kuromon Market in Osaka is packed with Chinese tourists and other visitors in January 2020. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

China lifted its ban on group tours to Japan on Aug. 10 after a suspension of more than three years due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The decision announced by China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism also covered the United States, South Korea and many European countries.

The lifting is expected to be a boon to Japan’s tourism industry as China topped both in tourist numbers and visitor spending before the pandemic.

Chinese group tours to Japan have been on hold since January 2020. Only a limited number of solo travelers have visited the country since the spread of COVID-19.

In 2019, 9.59 million Chinese tourists visited Japan, accounting for 30 percent of foreign travelers.

Tourists from China spent 1.77 trillion yen ($12.30 billion), 36.8 percent of the total spending by inbound travelers.

The per-capita spending on shopping surpassed 100,000 yen, making China the only country to exceed that lucrative threshold for retail establishments.

Japan eased border restrictions on incoming travelers in October, but Chinese tourists have been slow to return compared with other countries.

The Chinese government has continued to freeze procedures for Japan-bound group tours.

China, which substantially relaxed its zero-COVID policy in December, lifted its ban on group tours to 60 countries in two batches, but Japan has not been included.

Japan and other countries were included in the third group announced on Aug. 10. 

In June, the number of Chinese tourists to Japan was about 20 percent of pre-COVID levels, although the overall entry of foreign travelers recovered to about 70 percent.

This year, flights from China increased to Tokyo and Osaka, among other major cities, and airlines are moving to reopen direct services to rural destinations.

(This article was written by Go Takahashi, Anri Takahashi and Kazuki Uechi.)

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