This Tuesday (11), Japan reopened its doors to tourism, after two and a half years of severe restrictions due to Covid-19. The cheap yen should be an attraction for visitors, at least that's what authorities hope to help support the country's economy.
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This morning tourists from Israel, France and the United Kingdom arrived.
“It’s a very, very long dream come true,” said Adi Bromshtine, a 69-year-old retiree who arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda airport from Israel. “We planned it before Covid and we were waiting,” she told AFP.
Japan closed its borders at the beginning of the pandemic and even prevented foreign residents from returning. From this Tuesday, visa-free entry for visitors from 68 countries and territories resumed.
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Among the requirements that are still in force is the obligation to be vaccinated or present a negative coronavirus test three days before traveling.
Japan welcomed a record 31,9 million foreign visitors in 2019, but the number fell to 250 in 2021.
A novelty for foreign tourists will be the devaluation of the local currency, the yen, valued at around 145 per dollar, a level not seen in two decades.
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The government has already intervened once to strengthen the currency, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cited the yen's weakness as a factor he hopes will help attract tourists.
(With AFP)
