Japan allowing free entry starting this Tuesday foreign tourists after that keep its borders practically closed from the start Pandemic, the country once again hopes to attract tens of millions of visitors each year, and revive the economy.
Asian country remained in force strictest border restrictions between forces G7 and one of the most severe of the major world powers, with the exception of China, which has slowed the post-Covid recovery of tourism and its economy.
Among the measures that have been voided as of this Tuesday is the 50,000 daily entry quota to the archipelago that has been in effect since September. As of midnight today, there will no longer be any restrictions in the country, except for the airline’s own offer, as before the pandemic.
Tourist normalization
Although Japan began allowing tourists to arrive in June, it did so with many restrictions. obligation to apply for a visa for any visit and mediation of authorized travel agencies in tourist visits.
archipelago from today Maintains visa exemption agreements for stays up to 90 days With 68 countries (the United States, Argentina, Mexico and the European Union among them), it is a country where many visitors welcome travel to the country, marking the normalization of international tourism to Japan.
With the outbreak of the epidemic, these agreements were suspended.
Travelers from countries that do not have a bilateral agreement on this issue must comply with pre-pandemic requirements to travel to Japanese territory.
When it comes to immigration controls, Tokyo has simplified them.
those who document that they have taken three doses of either, counter vaccines covid-19 Approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), you won’t have to get tested 72 hours before boarding the plane, something that will be essential for the rest.
Those who have the required vaccinations or have a negative certificate within three days of their entry into the country will not have to undergo testing on arrival or comply with the quarantine measures taken in certain circumstances.
Apart from certificates, all travelers arriving in the country will need to fill out a covid questionnaire in advance and download an application called MySOS, available on the Ministry’s website, to which documents still required to travel to the country can be linked. Outdoors.
Arrival area of major Japanese airports they looked pretty full todayalmost empty after a few years.
A 26-year-old Thai woman from Kansai (west), who came to the country with two other members of her family, shared her happiness with the Nikkei newspaper: “I want to go shopping and eat takoyaki”, small balls. She said it was typical wheat flour and octopus from the region.
Japan received 31.9 million tourists in 2019 before the outbreak of the health crisis. According to the data of the National Tourist Office (JNTO), this number was 246,000 in 2021, and the number of people with foreign passports entering the country in August was 169,800, mostly residents.
a decent yen
Japan’s reopening to tourists comes at a delicate moment for its economy, which has not yet completed its recovery after a near-complete closure of borders for several years. Affected by the increase in import prices due to rising prices due to geopolitical tension and also the weakness of the currency yen.
However, this trend is quite beneficial for foreign visitors, especially those who move in dollars and euros. Yen buying is positive.
Japanese officials hope that this feature of the present moment will contribute positively to the reopening of tourism, which serves as one of the country’s attractions.
Japan hopes that cheap yen “benefits socio-economic activities” Given the return of tourists framed in the country’s “transition to coexistence with covid,” government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said at a news conference today.
It’s unclear what the initial impact of the reopening will be, given that the arrival of Chinese tourists, who have traditionally paid the highest rate and Japanese coffers, has remained weak due to Beijing’s strict “zero covid” policy.