Before the acceptance of foreign tourists resumed on the 10th, the counter at Haneda Airport, which handles Wi-Fi routers for rent, was busy preparing for the increase in reservations.
At the reception counter that rents out Wi-Fi routers in the arrival lobby of international flights at Haneda Airport, the reception of foreign tourists will resume on the 10th, and employees will display the router screen in English, Chinese, etc. I set it to the language used by the router, and put a foreign language manual in a dedicated pouch.
The company that operates this counter offers Wi-Fi rental services at 17 airports nationwide, but after the spread of the new corona infection, the number of rentals to foreigners has remained at a single digit in a month, and the rate has increased. It means that there was a time when it fell by up to 99% or more.
However, since hundreds of reservations have already been made this month and the number of reservations is increasing day by day, the service system will increase the number of employees who can speak foreign languages in the future as the number of users increases. It is a policy to strengthen the service.
Mr. Daiya Suzuki, Director of Vision, said, "We have received many inquiries from overseas travel agencies and have become quite busy. We will try to provide services so as not to inconvenience travelers." ..
US Expectations and Voices Calling for Relaxation
In New York, the United States, where travel demand is recovering rapidly, expectations have been raised for Japan to resume accepting foreign tourists, while others have called for simplification of the procedures required for entry.
A man who visited New York from Tennessee in the southern United States said, "It looks like it's fun to visit Japan. Japanese food is wonderful and I've heard about Japanese trains, so I'd like to ride it."
A man who visited New York from eastern Connecticut said, "I have visited Tokyo once and love it. I definitely want to go back. It was wonderful to see Japan and its culture." It's nice that it's cheaper, but honestly I don't want to go if there are procedures such as visa application, "he said, saying that it is necessary to relax the acceptance requirements.
China's outlook is uncertain and some disappointing voices
In 2019, before the spread of the new coronavirus, 9.59 million people visited Japan, and it is not expected that tourists will visit Japan for the time being, which accounted for 30% of all foreign tourists.
Behind the scenes is the Chinese government's adherence to a "zero corona" policy that thoroughly curbs infections.
The Chinese government has banned travel agencies from arranging group trips abroad since January.
In addition, as strict infection control measures are taken in various places such as Shanghai last month, the infection spreads from people from abroad in many cases, and we are reminding individuals not to travel abroad.
In addition, when returning from abroad, it is necessary to quarantine at a fixed accommodation facility for a certain period of time, such as two weeks.
A regrettable voice was heard from a person who visited Japan frequently before Corona.
Mr. Samurai, a bank clerk living in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in the south, has been traveling to Japan for about 10 years, and visited Corona once a month at many times.
He is a fan of Japanese male idol groups, and he says he has hundreds of Uchiwa goods he bought when he went to see concerts in Osaka and Nagoya.
During his visit he became fond of Japanese food and nature and had a valid tourist visa for five years.
He last visited Japan in January and is looking forward to traveling again, but he says he can't expect when he will be able to go.
Mr. Samurai said, "I want to go to concerts in Japan, so I want to go to eat beef tongue, but it seems difficult to do because the domestic measures are strict. The isolation measures will be shortened next year. I hope I can go to Japan. "
Thailand Japan-themed commercial facilities are popular
In Thailand, Southeast Asia, Japanese-themed commercial facilities became popular while travel was severely restricted, and visitors to the facilities expressed their expectations that they would be able to go sightseeing in Japan again. I did.
From Thailand, more than 1.31 million people from Thailand visited Japan in 2019, which is the largest number in Southeast Asia, but the number of tourists has dropped sharply due to the spread of the infection.
Under these circumstances, in December last year, a commercial facility called "Harajuk Thailand" with the theme of Japan opened in the capital Bangkok, and it is gaining popularity among people who want to feel the atmosphere of Japan as much as possible.
Inside the facility, pictures of sightseeing spots in Japan such as Mt. Fuji and the Great Buddha are drawn, and a Japanese restaurant is housed in a tiled building, which was visited by about 50,000 people last month. It means that.
Regarding the resumption of acceptance of foreign tourists from Japan, a Thai woman who was visiting the facility wearing a yukata said, "I am glad that Japan has resumed acceptance. I started talking with my friends about travel plans." I was talking.
Another Thai woman said, "I want to go to Japan. However, if there is a limit on the number of people, I don't think everyone can go, so that's a shame."