On the 10th, the acceptance of foreign tourists, which had been suspended due to the influence of the new Corona, was resumed for the first time in about two years, limited to tourists.
It is expected that tourists will actually visit at the earliest about a month, but expectations are rising in tourist destinations.
On the other hand, experts point out that "the challenge is how to get many people to follow domestic rules such as wearing masks."
Resumption for the first time in about 2 years
<Maximum acceptance> The
government will resume accepting foreign tourists from the 10th for the first time in about two years, and will accept them within the maximum number of immigrants of 20,000 per day.
<Target
of acceptance> The target of acceptance is tourists from 98 countries and regions such as the United States, South Korea, China, and the United Kingdom, which are judged to have a low risk of infection. Measures are exempt.
To prevent the spread of the infection, we will limit it to tour guides with tour conductors for the time being.
For other countries and regions, the purpose of entry is still limited to business and study abroad, and tourists are not accepted.
However, 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.
<Actual visit time>
According to a major travel agency, 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. That is.
<Airport>
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. ..
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.
<Guidelines> The guidelines
created by the Tourism Agency for businesses such as travel agencies are for tourists to
take thorough infection prevention measures such as wearing masks, and to be
hospitalized or receive medical treatment in Japan. In preparation, he says he needs to get consent to get private medical insurance.
Sightseeing spot reservations one after another
Expectations are rising as some tourist destinations have already made reservations for summer and autumn.
<Narita Airport> Duty Free Shop "I have high expectations"
At the duty-free shop in Narita Airport, where sales had fallen by more than 90% compared to before the spread of the infection, we were preparing to accept foreign tourists by increasing the number of products from the 10th.
Hayato Ito, general manager of NAA Retailing Sales Department 1, who runs the store, said, "I have been suffering from corona for the past two years. I am very much looking forward to resuming acceptance because it is supported by the sales of foreign tourists. I want to make preparations so that people can enjoy shopping in their memories. "
<Tokyo> Houseboat management company Enhanced service with new menu
"Harukaiya" in Koto-ku, Tokyo, which operates houseboats, is a service with expectations for resuming acceptance of foreign tourists, as foreign users accounted for 20% of the total before the spread of the infection. I am trying to improve the service.
First of all, in order to respond in detail to the needs of foreign tourists with different food cultures and eating habits, we decided to add new dishes for vegetarians to the menu, and the person in charge of the company and the chef are having meetings.
In addition, the lion dance, which was popular with foreign tourists as an event on board, was kept in the box for a long time, but we are carefully maintaining it because it seems that the number of turns will increase from now on.
In November, we received reservations for 1000 group guests a day from Taiwan, but since this company alone can only accept up to 700 people, we decided to cooperate with another company's houseboat. increase.
Koichi Yasuda, managing director of Harumiya, said, "I'm hoping that we will be able to return to a lively houseboat. I had time to think about it. I would like to respond with sincere service. "
<Kyoto> Preparations proceed at the hotel Temporary reservations for tours
At a hotel with more than 200 rooms in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, foreign tourists accounted for about 35% of the passengers before the spread of the new corona infection, but for the past two years or so, there have been almost no reservations. ..
In response to the resumption of acceptance of foreign tourists, the hotel prepared an English questionnaire asking if there was a fever at the front desk by the 10th, and the restaurant shared tableware in English and Chinese and had a loud conversation. I put up a notice calling for avoiding.
In addition, we will add English notation to the monitor installed at the entrance to call for infection control.
By September, this hotel has about 10 tentative reservations for tours from overseas, so we are expecting foreign tourists to return in the future.
Hotel Nikko Princess Kyoto's manager, Shozo Kawado, said, "We are very grateful for the return of overseas customers. We are very grateful for the return of our customers. I want to move forward. "
<Kanazawa> Kanazawa maker management facility Already booked a tour
At the facility operated by the Kanazawa gold pack maker, you can experience sightseeing using gold packs, and you can experience sticking gold packs on plates and chopsticks. Before the spread of the new corona, foreign countries such as Asia, Europe and the United States Tourists accounted for 20% of the visitors.
As the acceptance of foreign tourists is conditionally resumed, the facility is receiving a series of tour reservations and inquiries from groups mainly in Europe and the United States.
So far, foreign tourists are expected to start coming around August, which means that there are already four reservations a day during the fall tourist season.
Masamitsu Kosaka, the manager of Hakuichi Main Store, said, "The number of inquiries about reservations is increasing from summer to autumn. I would like many people to come after making thorough preparations such as duty-free shopping. I was talking.
Experts ...
● Professor Tetsuya Matsumoto, International University of Health and Welfare
"It is better to consider the risk that highly infectious mutant strains will be brought into Japan. It is important as an opportunity to revitalize the economy, but the infection has not settled down worldwide. I'm worried about how much the rules can be relaxed and accepted. "
Regarding the issue of acceptance, "In some countries, the perception of corona is different between overseas and Japan, and infection control is loose. Tourism is premised on observing domestic rules, but the issue is whether or not it will be observed as stated. It's not an order from the store or accommodation, it's just a request. Some people may be reluctant to mask it, and it may cause trouble. We can also think about how to deal with it. I need it. "
On top of that, "If there is no major problem after resuming acceptance and time passes, it can be proved that even if foreigners enter, it will not lead to the spread of infection. I still can't read what the infection will be like, but I hope I can maintain it without increasing the number of infected people. "
● Professor Kazuhiro Tateda of Toho University (member of the government subcommittee)
"This time, the number of infected people per capita is higher than in Japan even in the countries that are accepted without inspection at the time of entry. It is important to take measures against infection while being aware of it. Have foreign tourists follow the measures taken in Japan, and if you feel sick even a little, get a test and get a positive result. It is important to raise awareness so that you can see a medical institution promptly. It is also important to establish a system that allows you to understand what kind of mutant virus is being brought in from overseas. "
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Saito "I hope it will lead to the revitalization of the local economy"
Regarding the resumption of acceptance of foreign tourists from the 10th, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Saito said, "We have received a large number of inquiries from the Japan Tourism Agency, etc. I hope that it will lead to the revitalization of the local economy. "
In addition, when resuming acceptance of foreign tourists, it is important to understand the region and foster a sense of security, and we request travel agencies and other businesses to comply with the guidelines previously announced by the Japan Tourism Agency to prevent the spread of infection. I showed the idea of going on.
White Paper on Tourism "We should strengthen the attraction of wealthy foreign tourists to the V-shaped recovery"
According to the Tourism White Paper decided by the Cabinet on the 10th, the amount of domestic travel consumption including foreigners for the last year decreased by 66.3% compared to 2019 before the spread of infection due to the influence of the new corona, and the situation is very severe. It is said that it continues.
Furthermore, even for foreign tourists who resumed acceptance from the 10th, it is still time to recover to the pre-infection level where the number of tourists visiting Japan exceeded 30 million by relaxing the visa issuance requirements. It is said that it will take.
In the white paper, while such a difficult situation continues, it is important to increase the per capita consumption amount for the "V-shaped recovery" of the depressed tourism industry, and the wealthy foreign tourism that has not been taken in so far It says that it should strengthen the attraction of customers.