Japan gears up for bustling holiday despite COVID uptick

Japan is gearing up for its busiest holiday season since the COVID-19 pandemic began as the government eases antivirus measures, though experts say an uptick in infections is likely to keep consumer spending below pre-pandemic levels. Bookings for hotels, airlines and bullet train operators during Golden Week, which starts on April 29 and runs through early May, have rebounded strongly from the same period last year. Some 16 million people are expected to travel domestically, a 68% increase from last year, according to travel agency JTB. Spending during the period is expected to rise 80% to 552 billion yen ($4.3 billion). Reservations for flights are also sharply up on the year, a second straight year of increases, though numbers are still far below 2019 levels. Japan Airlines on Friday said domestic flight bookings had doubled from last year to 801,340, while international bookings increased 4.2 times to 69,170. Rival ANA Holdings announced domestic flight bookings had risen 1.4 times from 2021 to 783,788, while international bookings jumped 5.6 times to 64,896.<br/>