As part of the government's demonstration project to resume the acceptance of foreign tourists, the owners of American travel agencies visited Ibaraki prefecture and visited tourist spots while taking measures against infection.
The government has started a small-scale tour to Japan on a trial basis from the 24th to resume the acceptance of foreign tourists, which is currently suspended due to the influence of the new coronavirus.
As part of this, on the morning of the 26th, four people, including the owner of a travel agency in Hawaii in the United States, arrived at Sakatsura Isozaki Shrine in Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, by bus with a tour conductor.
The four wore masks, disinfected their hands, and then worshiped, receiving prayers and drawing fortunes.
After that, the group visited a commercial facility near the fishing port and looked around the seafood.
A male owner in his 60s who participated said, "I felt that infection control was solid in Ibaraki. I prayed for a future tour to Japan at the shrine."
In Ibaraki Prefecture, the number of foreign guests reached a record high of 250,000 in 2018 before the spread of the infection, but it has declined after the spread of the infection, and the prefecture will reach 260,000 in 2025. I want to raise it.
Sachiko Hataya, Chief of the International Tourism Division of Ibaraki Prefecture, said, "I want to attract foreign guests by disseminating the appeal of Ibaraki's delicious food."
A demonstration experiment was also conducted in Nagano City, and participants from Hawaii visited Zenkoji Temple.
On the 26th, four men and women who run a travel agency in Hawaii who participated in this tour visited Nagano City and enjoyed sightseeing in Zenkoji, which is crowded with Kaichō.
Through this tour, the Japan Tourism Agency will verify effective methods for foreign tourists to follow basic infection control measures such as wearing masks, and what to do if symptoms of suspected infection occur. In the future, we will compile guidelines for travel agencies and accommodation facilities.
According to Nagano Prefecture, the total number of foreigners who stayed in the prefecture in the first year of Reiwa before the new Corona was more than 1.57 million, but last year it was 61,300, a sharp decrease to less than one-twentieth. It means that it is.
A woman from a Hawaiian travel agency who participated in the tour said, "I felt the strictness of Japan's infection control measures, such as the need to wear gloves at the breakfast buffet. However, Japan is so popular that I introduced it to my customers. I want to do it. "