The acceptance of foreign tourists, which had been suspended due to the influence of the new Corona, will be resumed from the 10th, limited to tourists.
It will be reopened for the first time in about two years, but due to visa issuance procedures, it is expected that it will take about a month at the earliest for tourists to actually visit.
The government will resume accepting foreign tourists from the 10th for the first time in about two years.
We accept up to 20,000 people per day, and enter 98 countries and regions such as the United States, South Korea, and China, which are considered to have the lowest risk of infection.
To prevent the spread of the infection, we will limit it to tour guides with tour conductors for the time being.
In addition, the guidelines created by the Tourism Agency for businesses such as travel agencies include thorough infection prevention measures such as wearing masks for tourists, and in case they are hospitalized or receive medical treatment in Japan. , It is necessary to get consent to get private medical insurance.
According to major travel agencies, it will take about a month at the earliest for tourists to actually visit Japan because it takes time to recruit tour participants and issue visas.
It is expected that the resumption of acceptance of foreign tourists will lead to the recovery of the local economy, but it is far from the level before Corona, where the number of foreign visitors to Japan exceeded 30 million annually, and we will thoroughly implement infection control measures in the future. However, the issue is whether or not the restrictions can be relaxed.
Relaxing border measures according to the infection situation in each country
With the resumption of acceptance of foreign tourists, border measures have been eased according to the infection situation in each country.
Tour conductors from 98 countries and regions eligible for this vaccination are exempt from entry inspections and waiting measures, even if they have not been vaccinated.
In other countries and regions, the purpose of entry is still limited to business and study abroad, and tourists are not accepted.
However, of these, immigrants from 99 countries such as India and Vietnam are exempt from testing and waiting measures after three vaccinations, and four countries such as Pakistan still require testing and waiting.
In addition to Narita Airport, Haneda Airport, Chubu Airport, Kansai Airport, and Fukuoka Airport, which have been accepting immigrants, international flights will resume at New Chitose Airport and Naha Airport by the end of June, and acceptance is scheduled to begin.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, at each airport, the flow lines of people who need inspection and those who do not need it are separated so that procedures can be carried out smoothly.
If you are a person who does not need inspection and have completed a part of the examination on the web in advance, it means that the quarantine procedure is completed in about 30 minutes.
On the other hand, all immigrants are required to have an inspection or wait at the accommodation facility if fever is confirmed by thermography at the time of entry.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare says, "We would like to reorganize the quarantine system and take appropriate measures when positive persons appear or become seriously ill."
Correspondence such as remaking the plan accompanied by a travel agency tour operator
In order to resume the acceptance of foreign tourists, travel agencies in Tokyo have changed the tours that had been set up for free action in response to the request of the national guidelines that summarize infection prevention measures, etc. I am busy with measures such as recreating a plan to accompany me.
A travel agency in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, held a meeting to consider tours based on the guidelines of the Japan Tourism Agency, which summarizes infection prevention measures, etc., when resuming acceptance of foreign tourists.
Of these, tours around Tokyo and Kyoto for travelers from Spanish-speaking countries have so far set free time days, but the guidelines require a tour conductor to accompany the entire journey. , I decided to revise this tour and create a new plan to accompany the tour conductor.
In addition, since the definition of close contact and the required behavioral restrictions differ depending on the country or region, make sure that you are fully aware of the way of thinking in Japan, and remove the mask in places where you can avoid the three crowds in preparation for the coming heat. I was sure that the tour operator would guide me diligently.
The company is considering training for tour conductors to ensure thorough guidelines.
Fumi Nishiuchi, General Manager of Ibero-America Sales Department of "JTB Global Marketing & Travel," said, "I would like to carefully explain the guidelines to travelers and aim to achieve both hospitality and infection control measures."
Strengthen information dissemination using department store SNS
At a major department store where so-called "inbound consumption" supported the business performance before the new Corona, we are focusing on disseminating information using SNS in order to recover sales with the resumption of acceptance of foreign tourists.
Isetan Mitsukoshi, a major department store, has been strengthening information dissemination via SNS mainly for Chinese people since this spring in order to resume accepting foreign tourists.
Until now, we have mainly promoted domestic tourist attractions in order to retain interest in Japan, but we have updated the contents significantly and focused on fashionable products in Japan such as shoes and hats. I set it up.
Furthermore, after resuming acceptance, the strategy is to enhance the brand image by pushing luxury goods such as watches to the front.
In this group, about 6% of sales were from foreign tourists in 2018 before the spread of the new corona infection, and about 70% of it was from Chinese tourists, but it has decreased sharply due to the spread of the infection. did.
In China, the "Zero Corona" policy to thoroughly control infections is still being continued, and it seems that the actual visit of tourists from China is still ahead, but by disseminating the attractiveness of the store in advance, from the travel planning stage. We would like to have them included in the options and aim for an early recovery of sales.
Chieko Tanii of Isetan Mitsukoshi said, "In the future, we would like to have a system for calling for infection control and accepting tax exemptions so that foreigners can enjoy shopping at the store when they come to Japan." rice field.
Nagano Zenkoji Guide for foreigners Full-scale preparation
Expectations are rising in tourist destinations around the world.
A clerk at a confectionery store on the approach to Zenkoji Temple in Nagano City said, "Since the number of Japanese tourists is increasing, I would like foreigners to know about Zenkoji Temple."
In addition, the volunteer group "Bonsho no Kai", which guides foreigners at tourist spots such as Zenkoji, is making full-scale preparations for resuming acceptance.
About 60 members of this group have guided more than 5,000 people a year, but the spread of the new coronavirus has forced them to suspend their activities for some time.
In the meantime, we have continued to train guides twice a month so that we can respond even if the acceptance of foreign tourists resumes, so we have already received requests for guides from the United Kingdom and Thailand. ..
Takeo Handa, Chairman of the Bonsho no Kai, said, "It will be a restart, so I would like to prepare well and improve the accuracy of the guide."
Hiroshima Miyajima Expectations and anxieties of business operators of experience facilities such as dressing and tea ceremony
In Miyajima, Hiroshima Prefecture, where the World Heritage site Itsukushima Shrine is located, we heard expectations and anxieties from businesses who are experiencing kimono dressing and tea ceremony.
This facility was opened five years ago after renovating a temple with a history of more than 300 years, and you can experience kimono dressing, tea ceremony, calligraphy, and zazen.
Before the spread of the new coronavirus, there were at most 300 passengers a month, of which more than 90% were foreign tourists from the United States, Europe, Australia, and so on.
However, due to the spread of the infection, the number of passengers has decreased significantly, and the adult has been closed for three months and is still open only on the day when the reservation is made.
For this reason, in order to cover the decrease in foreign tourists as much as possible, we have offered a plan that includes dressing and tea ceremony for Japanese people at a cheaper price than usual, but this year's sales are before the spread of infection. It is only about 30% of.
On the other hand, the staff continued to prepare for studying English at home even when tourists from overseas did not come.
The number of reservations has not increased even after it was decided to resume accepting foreign tourists, but I look forward to the recovery of tourists in the future.
Sakae Hashiguchi, CEO of "okeiko Japan" said, "It was a really difficult two years because I have been operating mainly inbound, but I have continued my business with the feeling that I will never give up. I wonder if I can finally welcome overseas people. I'm looking forward to it, but honestly, I'm still worried about whether sales will recover as they did before the spread of the new corona. "
Tourist guide "interpreter guide" to foreigners Almost no job request yet
Although the acceptance of foreign tourists has resumed, the group of nationally qualified "interpreter guides" who provide tourist guides to foreigners has not received many job requests yet, and the predicament continues.
A group of interpreter guides with offices in Nakano-ku, Tokyo receives requests for tourist guide work from travel agencies and introduces about 1000 interpreter guides nationwide.
However, even after it was decided to resume accepting foreign tourists, there were only a few job requests, all of which are for next spring and summer.
At this point, the number of immigrants per day is limited to 20,000, and the target audience is limited to tourists, so some foreigners have said that they will refrain from visiting Japan for the time being. It means that it is.
In a survey conducted by the group last year on licensed guides, nearly 80% of the 489 respondents said that their income from this job was almost zero, but foreign tourists It is still uncertain that the situation will improve even if the acceptance of is resumed.
Mie Matsumoto, President of the Japan Federation of Certified Guides and Interpreters, said, "The situation is not what we expected even if it is resumed. It is difficult to recover because individual tourists cannot enter the country."