Japan welcomes more than 500,000 foreign travellers in October 2022

So far, 1.5 million foreign visitors have been welcomed into the country

In October, the month Japan fully reopened its borders to international visitors, welcomed approximately 500,000 foreign travellers into the country. This number was twice as much as September’s 206,500.

So far, 1.5 million foreign visitors have been welcomed into the country, and while this signifies the recovery of the tourism sector, it is still a far cry from 2019’s 31.8 million and the government’s 2020 goal of 40 million.

On 11 October, Japan lifted most of its travel restrictions, which were implemented two years ago due to the COVID pandemic, according to CNN.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida mentioned that the government’s goal this year is to attract USD35.8 billion in annual tourism spending, which does not seem feasible for an industry that was most affected by the pandemic. This will also be difficult unless Chinese tourists return because in 2019, 9.5 million Chinese tourists came to Japan, which accounted for a third of the nation’s visitors.

A 32-year low in the yen against the dollar has prime minister Fumio Kishida counting on tourism to rev up the economy.

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Tetsuo Saito, the minister of tourism, announced that the government intends to prolong the nationwide travel discount scheme, which was initially scheduled to run until late December, reported The Japan Times.

According to Saito at a press conference, the program would be suspended starting on 28 December and resumed after New Year’s. Depending on the COVID-19 infection condition, further announcements will be made regarding the day of resumption.

Kyodo News revealed that Japan launched its subsidy program on 11 October as an initiative to boost domestic tourism—the same day the country removed its daily cap for overseas arrivals. 

The National Travel Discount provides up to USD77 in discounts and coupons, which travellers can use daily for meals, shopping, and accommodation.

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