The Kishida Fumio government has implemented new decisions as of October 11, across the country, where the number of Covid-19 cases is low.
In this direction, the daily limit of 50 thousand passengers and the individual travel ban of foreign tourists to Japan has been lifted.
Foreign tourists from nearly 70 countries where Japan has a visa exemption program will be able to enter Japan unplanned and unaccompanied.
Those who show 3 doses of vaccine or a negative test result 72 hours before travel will not be subjected to new Covid-19 testing and quarantine at the border entrance.
On the other hand, the central government has launched the “National Travel Discount” program to be implemented to revive the country’s domestic tourism.
Within the scope of the program, subsidies will be provided up to 11,000 yen ($76) per person per night for 7-night domestic travel.
The capital city of Tokyo will be included in the program on 20 October.
“TURNING POINT”
Kabien Chief Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu said lifting the border measures was “aimed to increase overseas international interaction with Japan”.
Matsuno said, “We hope to encourage the travel of tourists at home and abroad, and to revive the regions and demand affected by the epidemic.” said.
Tourism Minister Saito Tetsuo also referred to the travel subsidy program, “A landmark day for the national tourism industry.” he spoke
JTB Corp., one of Japan’s largest travel agencies. In response to the increasing travel demand, it also announced that it will “implement comprehensive measures against infections so that people can enjoy traveling.”
From 32 million to 240 thousand
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), about 32 million tourists visited Japan in 2019, which coincided with the Covid-19 outbreak.
It was observed that the number of visitor tourists decreased to 4.1 million in 2020 and 240 thousand in 2021, including the periods when the number of epidemic cases broke records.
Japan, which gradually increased the daily passenger limit to 10 thousand, 20 thousand and 50 thousand this year, received less than 8 thousand tourists in July and less than 11 thousand in August.