Tourism in Japan in 2022 and New Corona Variant

-

The Japanese government announced that Japan will reopen to tourist from abroad from the beginning of June, allowing 20000 people per day.

 

This is good news for those who wish to visit and enjoy Japan for the first time in two years.

Also, this is a big shift for those in travel industry in Japan. They can finally welcome visitors from abroad – some cities and towns have been relied upon visitors from abroad for years. They have been waiting for this moment for long time – two years are definitely long for some businesses such as restaurants, tourist spots and gift shops.

 

However, I had a big question: the Japanese government announced border reopening just two months before the scheduled date. And they only allow group tours with guides who control the itinerary and sanitation.

I wondered - are the two months long enough to sell group tours?

 

I believe most of travel companies start selling group tours at least 6 month ahead of the departure dates. Two months are just too short to sell tours.

 

As expected, no group of tourists came from abroad in June.

Perhaps the government underestimated the travel industry and how it works..

 

Travel from Japan has become open from this May. A large number of people enjoyed their Golden week holiday abroad at the beginning of May, visiting places such as Hawaii, Australia and the UK etc. 

They all reported that people in the countries they visited wore no facial masks. Apparently the countries they visited decided to co-exist with COVID-19, and let people take off facial masks in open areas.

This also gave me a huge question. Japan has decided to co-exist with COVID-19 as early as two years ago, in order to let the economy going. People kept going to offices amid the surge of Delta variant or Omicron variant. We all kept wearing facial masks and sanitise hand, which we still do as of July 2022.

 

The irony is that despite people wearing facial masks in public and wash & sanitize hands in the past two years, the number of patients remained high. I began to wonder if facial masks are effective measure to prevent the virus at all.

 

Now there is new Omicron variant, BA. 5 is beginning to replace BA.2. The number of COVID patients doubled within a week. Last week (beginning of July 2022), the covid cases in Tokyo was roughly 3,000. But this week saw a surge in the number, hitting more than 8,000 cases.

 

This is not a very good news for those in service industry, as summer holiday season is approaching.

 

Do we, once again, endure empty street and empty shops in tourist destinations this year as well? This remains to be seen how quickly the BA.5 cease to spread.

 

The 4th jab is on the way, starting from elderly people taking vaccine from July or August. The government is once again scheduling similar procedure, starting from elderly people who are likely to be badly hit by the virus. Still though, the number of younger patients remains high. I wondered if the government review the process, and let younger generation to get vaccine earlier than middle aged.

 

I believe it is questionable to accuse younger people getting COVID, just assuming they go out and meet many friends, drink at bars and go sightseeing. These are done more by middle aged people. They go out more than younger people, and travel far. How come those in forty-ish and fifty-ish (may be older) are not blamed?

 

It may be time to review vaccination process, and social activities of each generation. We might find difference in social activity of older generation. The new variant, BA.5, may not be as deadly as Delta variant. However, instead of carrying on the same procedure which was made two years ago, I believe it’s time to reconsider the whole process, to prepare for the summer vacation season.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A kiss for a soldier

-
Image
  It was about 30 years ago. I was waiting for my plane at the Heathrow airport.   I was on the way back to Japan after studying at a university in UK for a year. The final exam date was not out until last minutes, and it was difficult to fix the day I leave the country.   I booked the seat only 3 days before the flight. As soon as the exams are over, I sent out my text books and belongings from my college room, said goodbye to my friends, and headed for London.   It was slightly late in the afternoon when I arrived at Euston station. I went straight to a youth hostel in city centre, whic had a good access to Piccadilly line which has direct connection to the Heathrow airport.   I slept soundly, and got up early to catch the underground bound for the airport.   After check in, I sat at one of bench in airport lobby, waiting for boarding announcement.   Then, there came a group of soldiers. They were walking in a line, wearing khaki army outfit. When they got c
Read more

England : The Taste of Forbidden Drink

-
Image
Many years ago, during my stay in the UK, I was aware that pubs offered cidre, known as "cider" in English. However, for some reason, my British acquaintances strongly discouraged me from ordering apple cider. They claimed it was not something young people should drink, that it wouldn't suit Japanese taste buds, and that Japanese people were not accustomed to strong alcohol, which they believed apple cider to be. Their opinions, particularly the insistence that "it doesn't suit Japanese palates," left me puzzled. Despite their claimed familiarity with Japan, it seemed they were determined to prevent me from trying apple cider. Looking back, I suspect they may have had a negative experience recommending it to a Japanese person in the past, perhaps to avoid disappointing me. After several decades, I finally had the opportunity to savor British-made apple cider. A Tokyo-based restaurant had a menu featuring about eight types of apple cider. Recalling my past en
Read more

Spain : Sangria - quenching the thirst of travelers

-
Image
  A tale from the distant past unfolds when a colleague from the travel agency bid us farewell, prompting the team to gather for a celebratory meal. Opting for the favorite Spanish cuisine of the departing comrade, our second-year colleagues discovered a delightful eatery nearby in Tokyo.   Run by a Spaniard, the restaurant was conveniently close to the office, and on that day, they had arranged a private room for our group. As we indulged in classic paella and fine wines, the jovial atmosphere escalated, and the affable owner inquired if we desired anything more. It was then that someone exclaimed, "We'd love some sangria!"   The proprietor's momentary hesitation upon hearing this request left me a lasting impression. Returning from the kitchen, the owner presented us with three large pitchers of sangria. Brimming with oranges and other fruits, this chilled concoction was a refreshing delight for our somewhat inebriated selves.   However, the lingering ex
Read more