Foreign Tourists Shun Japan Over COVID Rules

Above, the Godzilla slide at Kurihama Flower World. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Before the pandemic, tourism to Japan was "red-hot" in international popularity.

Now, even though foreign tourism is allowed (albeit on a very restricted basis), foreigners are shunning Japan as a vacation destination. This comes as no surprise according to an Asahi Shimbun article. 

The start it with:

Japan’s eased border restrictions have resulted in a relative trickle of international tourists entering the country, a disappointing but unsurprising development in the long-struggling travel and hospitality industry.

Industry sources said travelers are put off by Japan’s remaining entry rules concerning PCR tests and chaperoned travel packages. Others noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has not gone away.

“Japan still imposes tough restrictions,” said an official of TAS Co., a Tokyo-based company that specializes in inbound trips. “It is lagging behind other countries in letting in tourists despite its claim to be a tourism powerhouse.”

Fewer than 8,000 international tourists visited Japan last month after the government lifted the ban on sightseers from abroad in June.

To read the full article, go here.