Japan’s easing of travel rules will not spark influx of tourists from Hong Kong, experts say
- Travel agents say a slight relaxation in Japanese travel restrictions will not lead to significant rise in visitors from city
- Visitors will no longer have to travel on package tours with a Japanese guide, daily arrivals limit increased to 50,000 from 20,000
A relaxation of coronavirus regulations for tourists to Japan will not spark a major increase in the number of visitors from Hong Kong, city travel agents have predicted.
Tourism professionals noted that the changes were incremental and the city’s own strict quarantine rules for arrivals were still in force.
They were speaking after Japan on Wednesday announced that visitors would no longer have to travel on package tours with a guide from September 7 and that the country had increased its limit on arrivals to 50,000 people a day from 20,000.
The Japanese consulate in Hong Kong told the Post that the new rule would “basically remain the same as the current arrangement” with the only difference being that a tour guide was no longer necessary.
Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, executive director of EGL Tours, said he expected anyone considering a trip to Japan would still have to discuss their itinerary with travel agents, such as which cities they wanted to visit and whether they planned to rent vehicles.