Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Japan is open to travel. So why aren't tourists coming back?
While Covid doesn’t choose the nationality to infect, Japan had isolated itself from foreigners until recently. It allowed only its citizens to return home during the midst of the pandemic but not foreigners. Now, the country opened its doors to foreign visitors but only to those who come in organized tour groups. Why tour groups are welcomed but not individual travelers? What sort of science or rationale for the restrictions Japan is imposing? Certainly, it is not inviting for foreign tourists who can choose to visit more welcoming destinations in Asia, like Singapore, South Korea, or Thailand, all of which had strict restrictions before but are wide open now to any tourists. Furthermore, once you arrive at the airport in Tokyo, you’ll be tested again. Even if you pass the immigration and customs, you’re required to wear a mask in public places. Even in restaurants, guests are asked to wear a mask until they start eating or drinking. If you don’t, you’ll be looked at with critical eyes by other mask wearers. As Chinese tourists, the largest customer segment for Japan’s foreign tourism, haven’t resumed their foreign travels yet, there won’t be so many foreign tourists visiting the restrictive county at least for a while. By the way, Japan’s daily covid cases have been over a hundred thousand since July, one of the highest in the world.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how exclusive Japan’s tourism policy is.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-travel-reopening-challenges-intl-hnk/index.html
Japan is open to travel. So why aren't tourists coming back?
While Covid doesn’t choose the nationality to infect, Japan had isolated itself from foreigners until recently. It allowed only its citizens to return home during the midst of the pandemic but not foreigners. Now, the country opened its doors to foreign visitors but only to those who come in organized tour groups. Why tour groups are welcomed but not individual travelers? What sort of science or rationale for the restrictions Japan is imposing? Certainly, it is not inviting for foreign tourists who can choose to visit more welcoming destinations in Asia, like Singapore, South Korea, or Thailand, all of which had strict restrictions before but are wide open now to any tourists. Furthermore, once you arrive at the airport in Tokyo, you’ll be tested again. Even if you pass the immigration and customs, you’re required to wear a mask in public places. Even in restaurants, guests are asked to wear a mask until they start eating or drinking. If you don’t, you’ll be looked at with critical eyes by other mask wearers. As Chinese tourists, the largest customer segment for Japan’s foreign tourism, haven’t resumed their foreign travels yet, there won’t be so many foreign tourists visiting the restrictive county at least for a while. By the way, Japan’s daily covid cases have been over a hundred thousand since July, one of the highest in the world.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about how exclusive Japan’s tourism policy is.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-travel-reopening-challenges-intl-hnk/index.html
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