Chinese tourists won’t get true Japanese welcome because of ‘serious’ staff shortage

Name: Japan to downgrade Covid-19 threat status to that of seasonal flu
Uploaded: 2023-03-02T01:30:11.000Z
Duration: 1 min 6 s
Description: Japan to downgrade Covid-19 threat status to that of seasonal flu

Japan is desperate for tourism-related workers as Chinese visitors are expected to arrive in droves after Tokyo scrapped testing for arrivals from China

A recent survey of some 10,000 Japanese accommodation facilities found that more than three-quarters did not have enough full-time employees

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Tourists enjoy a rickshaw ride in Tokyo. Photo: EPA-EFE/File

Julian Ryall

Published: 9:30am, 2 Mar 2023

Chinese tourists have once again started arriving at Japanese airports, but there is concern the influx of arrivals will cause a major strain to the country’s travel industry that is dealing with a pandemic-induced labour shortage.

Tokyo on Wednesday scrapped a testing requirement for Chinese arrivals imposed on December 30, following concerns about imported coronavirus infections as the mainland suddenly began unravelling its strict zero-Covid policy.

Japan has long prided itself on its spirit of “omotenashi” – meaning to wholeheartedly look after one’s guests – but acute hospitality staff shortages, a lack of investment in additional facilities during the pandemic, and a failure to develop new attractions may leave them disappointed.

The shortage of staff across the entire service sector is very serious

Sayaka Hamano, Japanese traditional inn owner

Of all the challenges facing Japan’s inbound travel industry, a lack of trained and experienced employees is the biggest headache, as many people who lost their jobs when the industry contracted have not returned.

According to government statistics, 510,000 people were employed in Japan’s accommodation sector in August 2022, down 20 per cent from August 2019.

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Japan to downgrade Covid-19 threat status to that of seasonal flu

“The shortage of staff across the entire service sector is very, very serious,” said Sayaka Hamano, whose family has run the Kashogyoen traditional inn, known as a ryokan, outside Sapporo, since the 1960s.

“It is affecting hotels, restaurants and bars, travel firms and every day I am either interviewing potential new staff or looking for people to fill specific positions.