The global outbreak of the new crown epidemic has caused many countries to "close customs", including Japan, the favorite tourist destination of Hong Kong people. However, the local area is expected to relax entry measures as soon as June, allowing foreigners to enter in small-scale tour groups.
Some travel agencies in Hong Kong have already prepared to deal with the Japanese switch. For example, Zonghengyou listed 20 Japanese "small group" itineraries on the official website. The itinerary from the 5th to the 11th includes Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Hiroshima and other places, the price is 6,499 yuan to 34,999 yuan It varies, the departure date is June and July; Dongying Travel also revealed that it has received a large number of phone calls to inquire about travel.
Travel agencies are most worried about returning to Hong Kong for a seven-day quarantine, which is the biggest obstacle affecting Hong Kong people's travel.
Japan plans to allow tourist groups to enter Japan from June
The Japanese government banned foreigners from entering the country on November 30 last year, and then relaxed the restrictions in stages in March, including business people, international students, etc., and increased the number of single-day arrivals to 10,000 on April 10, and has not yet been allowed to enter for tourism. The visa-free entry of Hong Kong people has not resumed since 2020…
According to Japanese media reports, Japan plans to relax the number of single-day arrivals to 20,000, which will be implemented as soon as June.
The Japanese government is also exploring allowing foreign tourists to enter as small-scale tour groups. It is expected to conclude this month that it plans to gradually increase the number of tourists in the future.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida revealed earlier that he will strive to achieve the same smooth entry as G7 (Group of Seven) members in June.
The only thing to note is that at present, Japan does not recognize Sinovac vaccines, only Fubitix, and at least three doses of vaccinations. In other words, some Hong Kong people do not meet the requirements and will not be able to "return to the countryside".
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Yuan Zhenning on a journey
Yuan Zhenning, executive director of Zonghengyou, revealed that he had contacted the Japanese consulate, but no latest information has been released yet.
But he estimates that if the news is true, travel to Japan will return to the way it was about 20 years ago, and it is estimated that a large amount of information, such as bank income, vaccinations, marriage certificates, etc., will be required to apply for a tourist visa to a travel agency.
However, due to unstable factors such as the epidemic, Yuan worries that the first batch of countries and regions to be opened may not include China or Hong Kong; or that the number of places allocated is limited, resulting in competition among travel agencies: "How many are allocated in the first round? The travel agency wants to take a stool and fight to grab it?"
Dongying Youxuan Guoquan estimates that Hong Kong has a daily entry quota of 700
Xuan Guoquan, executive director of Dongying Travel, said that he understands that the Japanese government plans to effectively manage inbound tourists, but the specific tour group can only be formulated after the Japanese government announces more details.
However, he analyzed that before the outbreak of the epidemic, Japan had about 34 million inbound tourists in the whole year, of which Hong Kong accounted for 2 million, and it is estimated that a daily quota of 700 people could be obtained.
Xuan also said that the new measures are a disguised return to the way of travel in the last century, referring to the fact that Japan's visa-free system has been implemented for nearly 20 years, and the younger generation may not be familiar with applying for visas.
He believes that the travel agency arranges a special person to take charge of and manage the itinerary, which can avoid missed passengers after arrival, such as forgetting to install the Japanese version of "Safe Travel" and so on.
Therefore, he believes that the "one-stop" travel agency will make arrangements, and Hong Kong people are willing to accept it. "Everyone wants to travel comfortably."
The official website of Zonghengyou has announced the itinerary of the Japanese group
Zonghengyou also listed 20 Japanese tourism products on the official website. The itinerary from the 5th to the 11th includes Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Hiroshima and other places. The price ranges from 6,499 yuan to 34,999 yuan. ", the departure date is June and July, but the relevant fee does not include the hotel quarantine when returning to Hong Kong.
It can be seen that you are fully prepared for Japan to switch at any time.
When asked if he would be able to join the group successfully, Yuan Zhenning said with a smile, "It's all about local tours!"
As for Japanese tour groups, Xuan Guoquan emphasized that he had already made preparations to meet the changes in the market. He also revealed that some citizens had also called to inquire about the news that Japan was about to open.
He analyzed that the depreciation of the Japanese yen against the Hong Kong dollar is an important incentive. "Eating a bowl of famous ramen in Hong Kong, a hundred mosquitoes will not leave chickens. Going to Japan to eat a bowl of 1,000 feels very expensive, in fact, it is 60 mosquitoes. ”
Call for return to Hong Kong to reduce quarantine to three days
Travel agents in charge believe that the biggest obstacle at present is not the entry policy of foreign countries.
Yuan Zhenning said bluntly that if the government is willing to reduce the isolation and quarantine hotel to three days, and the remaining days will be quarantined at home, it is estimated that business can recover to 10% of the pre-epidemic level.
Xuan Guoquan also criticized that the seven-day quarantine will greatly reduce the willingness of citizens to go to Japan. At the same time, the insufficient supply of hotel rooms will also increase the difficulty of returning to Hong Kong after traveling abroad.
Since May 1, Thailand has relaxed the exemption of quarantine and quarantine entry for tourists, and travel agencies in Hong Kong have also launched related tourism products.
Xuan then revealed that dozens of people have been informed about the situation recently, and some of them have already formed groups and will depart from the end of June to July, but stressed that the number of groups formed is not large.
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