Japan to open doors to foreign tourists on October 11

After more than two years of influenza-induced restrictions, Japan decided to open its doors to foreign visitors on October 11th, as the government announced a travel subsidy program for domestic travelers.

The current weak yen versus foreign currencies will give foreign visitors more bang for their 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 plan their own trips to Japan without going through travel agencies.

The visa requirement was considered a problem for foreign tourists, but from Oct. 11 nationals from 68 nations and regions, including the United States, will no longer need visas. The status will return to before the outbreak of COVID - 19.

Government officials are trying to take advantage of the current weak yen to attract foreign tourists.

A negative COVID- 19 test result prior to departure is the only requirement that will remain in place for foreign tourists. If a visitor receives three COVID - 19 vaccines, that requirement will be waived.

The government will finally implement its domestic tourism promotion measure on October 11. The subsidy of 40 percent of the travel cost, up to 8,000 yen $56 per night, will apply to trips anywhere in Japan. The discount program was limited to destinations in the same or nearby prefectures until now.

The Go To Travel program was implemented in 2020 and is similar to the Go To Travel program. Government officials were hesitant to start 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.

Domestic travelers are hoping that the new program will encourage them to take longer trips to destinations further away, according to those in the travel industry.

Shinichi Inoue, president and CEO of All Nippon Airways Co., met with reporters on September 23 at Tokyo's Haneda Airport and said that the autumn colors season will begin mainly in Hokkaido, so the timing is very 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 the end of the year.