Japan is open for travel. So why don’t tourists come back?

So what causes the difference? And why are travelers so slow to return to what has historically been a popular destination?

There is no safety in numbers.

While Japan may be recovering, the country currently allows leisure tourists to come in organized groups rather than as individuals. For many in the West, who prefer spontaneity and don’t want to follow a strict itinerary, that issue was a deal breaker.

“We don’t need to be babbling,” says Melissa Musiker, a New York PR professional who travels regularly to Japan.

Musiker and her husband have been to Tokyo “about six times.” The couple had planned to visit again in 2022 when they heard the borders had reopened, but were frustrated by the ban and gave up.

Instead, they choose a new destination and go on vacation to South Korea.

We don’t want to be isolated. That was a big factor, Musiker said. “We want to go and wander around and shop and eat expensive sushi.”

Her preference for a city tour over a beach vacation tipped the scales in Seoul’s favor, as did her epidemic-born addiction to K-dramas.

Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto, Japan was often surrounded by tourists and street vendors.

Kosuke Okahara/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Semi-open is not open.

Japan’s completely non-open policy does not just apply to visas. The country still has mask laws in many areas, group tours can be expensive, and Japan requires isolation upon arrival, which makes it even more of a sell.

Before the outbreak, many Ari users were Asian travelers — from Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea or Singapore — who visited Japan several times a year or could suddenly skip over for a long weekend. But from 2020, the company had to stop.

“We didn’t know it was going to take this long,” she says of what should be a short pause. “It was definitely tough.”

The few members who started contacting Ari about bookings, Tam says, were people who were able to get business travel visas to Japan. This is currently the only way for non-citizens to enter the country as solo visitors, and some are taking advantage of the lack of crowds to try to get a seat at restaurants where they couldn’t book before.

But there is one bit of good news. Despite the challenges, many of Japan’s best restaurants are doing well during the pandemic.

“Most of the restaurants we work with have a strong local base of customers. On the upside, it means these popular places will still be in business when foreign tourists can come,” Tam said.

According to the Immigration Service Agency, currently the two largest markets for Japanese tourism are Thailand and South Korea. But “big” here is relative — nearly 400 people from all over the country have visited Japan since June. Only 150 came from America.

Before the outbreak, the narrow streets of Kyoto were crowded with visitors.

Kosuke Okahara/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Chinese influence

In the year In 2019, Japan’s largest tourism market was neighboring China, with 9.25 million Chinese visitors.

But now China is basically closed off from the rest of the world. Strict quarantine protocols are still in place for citizens and foreigners, bringing tourism to a standstill.

Tokyo Skytree is the tallest structure in Japan.

Rodrigo Reyes Marin/AFLO/Reuters

It took until June 27 for the first international tour group to reach the observatory, said Hiroyuki Ami, head of public relations at Tokyo Skytree. The group in question consisted of guests from Hong Kong.

The financial hub city has strict restrictions, including mandatory hotel quarantines for returning residents, but it’s still easier for tourists to travel there than from mainland China.

“Before Vivid, the highest number (of foreign visitors) was from China, but I haven’t seen them recently,” Amy said. He found that the majority of Skytree’s visitors over the past six weeks were local Japanese on their summer vacation. .

“Just because the reception of tourists has started again does not mean that we are getting more customers from overseas,” he added.

Waiting in the wings

“There’s a strong desire to return to Japan,” says Ari co-founder Tam. “I think it’s going to take off.”

CNN’s Kathleen Benozza in Tokyo contributed reporting.