Japan opens up to Chinese tourists, but can it handle the rush?
Japanese tourism is back in full swing after the government eased COVID-19 entry restrictions for Chinese travelers, though a wave of new arrivals is adding pressure to an industry already grappling with a widespread labor shortage. Japan scrapped a blanket testing requirement on travelers from China at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, a restriction that had been imposed since Dec. 30 in response to a surge in coronavirus cases there. It is now testing a random selection of up to 20% of passengers on flights from China. Japan will also stop limiting direct flights to and from China at the Narita and Haneda airports that serve Tokyo, Osaka's Kansai International Airport and Chubu Airport near Nagoya. Airlines will be allowed to offer more frequent service. About 9.6m Chinese visited Japan in 2019, spending a combined 1.7t yen ($12.5b at current rates). Eased restrictions are expected to accelerate the return of those big-spending travelers. But Japanese businesses are already struggling to keep up with the uptick in travel five months after the government first scrapped most COVID-related entry curbs. Many workers at hotels and other tourism-focused businesses switched careers amid the pandemic. Of the more than 10,000 inns and hotels surveyed by research company Teikoku Databank in January, 77.8% said they did not have enough full-time employees, while 81.1% said they did not have enough part-time and other irregular-hour workers. "There is a record shortage, even compared to 2019 and before" during Japan's tourism boom, Teikoku Databank said. Popular restaurant chain Kiwamiya, based mainly in Fukuoka, served around 400 diners at a single location during its busiest day in January. Over 80% of patrons were travelers from South Korea. "Traffic has surged since Japan eased entry restrictions, and we can't keep up with our current staff," said a representative. Kanucha Bay Resort has been unable to accommodate foreigner travelers due to staff shortages. "We're forced to focus just on domestic guests because we don't have the manpower," Takehiro Shiraishi, president of the Okinawa-based hotel operator, said. <br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-03-01/general/japan-opens-up-to-chinese-tourists-but-can-it-handle-the-rush
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Japan opens up to Chinese tourists, but can it handle the rush?
Japanese tourism is back in full swing after the government eased COVID-19 entry restrictions for Chinese travelers, though a wave of new arrivals is adding pressure to an industry already grappling with a widespread labor shortage. Japan scrapped a blanket testing requirement on travelers from China at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, a restriction that had been imposed since Dec. 30 in response to a surge in coronavirus cases there. It is now testing a random selection of up to 20% of passengers on flights from China. Japan will also stop limiting direct flights to and from China at the Narita and Haneda airports that serve Tokyo, Osaka's Kansai International Airport and Chubu Airport near Nagoya. Airlines will be allowed to offer more frequent service. About 9.6m Chinese visited Japan in 2019, spending a combined 1.7t yen ($12.5b at current rates). Eased restrictions are expected to accelerate the return of those big-spending travelers. But Japanese businesses are already struggling to keep up with the uptick in travel five months after the government first scrapped most COVID-related entry curbs. Many workers at hotels and other tourism-focused businesses switched careers amid the pandemic. Of the more than 10,000 inns and hotels surveyed by research company Teikoku Databank in January, 77.8% said they did not have enough full-time employees, while 81.1% said they did not have enough part-time and other irregular-hour workers. "There is a record shortage, even compared to 2019 and before" during Japan's tourism boom, Teikoku Databank said. Popular restaurant chain Kiwamiya, based mainly in Fukuoka, served around 400 diners at a single location during its busiest day in January. Over 80% of patrons were travelers from South Korea. "Traffic has surged since Japan eased entry restrictions, and we can't keep up with our current staff," said a representative. Kanucha Bay Resort has been unable to accommodate foreigner travelers due to staff shortages. "We're forced to focus just on domestic guests because we don't have the manpower," Takehiro Shiraishi, president of the Okinawa-based hotel operator, said. <br/>
