Tourists Return to Japan — But Japan Stays Home

<p>New data shows that tourists are returning to Japan in numbers that are approaching pre-pandemic levels. However, Japan isn&rsquo;t returning the favor. Despite holding one of the strongest passports in the world, many in Japan are opting for&nbsp;domestic&nbsp;travel instead. Here&rsquo;s why.</p> <h2>The inbound tourism revival</h2> <p><img alt="Kyoto" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/0*-kqi4jp23d34xTQq.png" style="height:394px; width:700px" /></p> <p>Picture: Canva</p> <p>Japan closed its doors near the start of the pandemic. That shut out not only tourists, but students, academics, businesspeople, and many others with plans to spend a year or more in the country.</p> <p><a href="https://unseenjapan.com/japan-tourism-reopening-travel-restrictions-lifted/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">The government lifted visa restrictions in October 2022</a>. However, that didn&rsquo;t lead to an immediate return in tourism. Tokyo&rsquo;s major airports, Haneda and Narita, remained relative ghost towns for several months afterwards. And tourists were an increasing but still rare sight in the streets of major cities.</p> <p>Fortunately, that appears to be changing. New numbers from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) shows that the country received 1.8 million foreign visitors in March. That&rsquo;s 63.8% of the numbers the country received in the same month in 2019 before the lockdown.</p> <p><a href="https://unseenjapan.medium.com/tourists-return-to-japan-but-japan-stays-home-e2a4b7a9f843"><strong>Visit Now</strong></a></p>
Tags: Tourists Japan