Relaxation of Japan’s Covid entry rules triggers ‘overwhelming’ demand

“Overwhelming” demand for travel to Japan is being claimed as it becomes one of the last countries in the world to reopen borders to international tourists following the pandemic.

Japanspecialist, the tour operator brand as part of long-established JTB Corporation, said interest had picked up from August 31 on the announcement that Japan would fully reopen its borders from September 7 with pre-departure PCR tests no longer required to enter Japan.

A cap on daily foreign tourist entries is expected to soon be lifted after being raised to 50,000 a day from 20,000 earlier this month.

All seven Japanspecialist shops across Europe are now experiencing a strong return in bookings following the challenges faced by the company during Japan’s closure to tourism.

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The company is offering an online Japan trip consultation service that costs €25 and is reimbursable when the customer books.

It hopes to capitalise on the sliding value of the yen which dropped to its lowest point against the dollar in 24 years last week, with a decline of as much as 1.7%.

Japanspecialist, which previously operated under the JTB name until a recent rebrand, handled 20,000 passengers a year and had 11 staff in its UK office prior to the Covid crisis.

It is the exclusive distributor of the Japan Rail Pass, a ticket that gives you almost unlimited access to the Japanese railway system, including the high-speed bullet train.

The company sells both direct to consumers and also in the B2B channel – covering the UK, Hungary, Benelux, Italy, France, Spain and Denmark – using a multilingual team with an average of 15 years experience in selling tours to Japan.

Head of Japanspecialist, Karolina Simon, said: “Despite many destinations opening up to in-bound tourism last year, Japan has been one of the last to open and this has been an incredibly hard period for us – as well as for those travellers whose trips have been continually delayed and rebooked.

“Nonetheless, we have used this time wisely, getting ready for the moment the borders open and building a stronger-than-ever portfolio with improved infrastructure and a new multilingual website – significantly benefiting strongly from JTB Corporation’s unrivalled Japanese network.

“Japan has always been a popular destination among European travellers, but since the reopening news announced on 31st of August we been overwhelmed by strong demand.

“Nearly three years of closure and the current exchange rate of the yen, being at its most favourable for Europeans in many years, are providing an extra impetus for those craving a memorable and authentic experience in one of the most mind-blowing destinations on the planet.”

More: G Adventures returns to Japan as travel restrictions are relaxed

InsideJapan hails relaxation of Japanese travel rules