Preparing Key Travel Agency Related Products
Japanese citizens are walking while wearing masks in a shopping district in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] As the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently announced the exemption of quarantine measures for incoming travelers, demand for flights to Japan this summer is expected to explode.
Although related policies such as the restoration of tourist visas have not yet been concretized, the travel route to Japan, which had been stagnant due to the No Japan (boycott of Japanese products) movement starting in 2019 and COVID-19, is expected to open after about four years, raising the atmosphere.
According to Interpark Tour's survey of Japan travel reservation rates from the 16th to the 22nd, after Japan announced the easing of entry regulations, reservations increased by 139% compared to the previous week (9th to 14th). By region, Narita (Tokyo) rose 173%, Osaka 163%, Haneda 123%, and Fukuoka 52%. During the same period, TMON's sales of Japan flight tickets also increased by 72%, with Narita-bound flights accounting for about 70% of total reservations.
Major travel agencies are already preparing related products. Hana Tour, Modu Tour, and Lotte Tour Development have launched charter flight products to Hokkaido, and Cham Joeun Travel has resumed selling travel products based on the normalization of flight routes after about three years.
Also, according to Incheon International Airport Corporation, Air Busan announced that it will start the Incheon-Tokyo (Narita) route on the 25th and launch a new regular route between Incheon and Osaka (Kansai) on the 27th.
Furthermore, according to Korea Airports Corporation, the Gimpo-Haneda air route, which serves as a gateway between Korea and Japan, will open early next month. The Gimpo-Haneda route was used by 2.05 million passengers annually before the spread of COVID-19 and is a symbolic route connecting the capitals of Korea and Japan. Once the route resumes, 16 flights per week (8 round trips) will operate between the two airports, with the expected resumption date between the 1st and 8th of next month.
Meanwhile, the travel industry expects that if tourist visa issuance and visa exemption are restored, demand for travel to Japan will normalize from mid-July. Japan plans to accept group tourists this month as part of preparations to reopen to foreign tourists, establish infection control measures, and then accept foreign tourists starting next month.
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