Japan considers opening up again to international tourists in spring 2021

Japanese authorities are considering allowing foreign tourists to enter the country in small groups in the spring, Report says, citing
TourDom.ru.

Though Japan has made agreements with neighboring countries for business-oriented travel bubbles and loosened restrictions for residents returning from abroad, the government has remained tight-lipped about when international tourists would be given the green light to enter the country again.

The government is already considering dropping mandatory quarantine for visitors coming in for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Still, until recently, it wasn’t clear when Japan might begin allowing leisure tourists back in. Now, The Japan Times reports that inbound tourism could resume as early as spring next year.

According to the newspaper, the government would begin by allowing access to small tour groups from places in Asia where coronavirus case numbers are low and relatively stable, such as China and Taiwan.

If tourists were to be granted entry in spring 2021, they would still be required to observe 14 days of quarantine and download the government’s Covid tracking app, Cocoa. At this stage, it’s still hypothetical as no official decision has been made on the tourism plan yet.
Meanwhile, with coronavirus infections on the rise in a few regions, the Japanese government has put the brakes on domestic tourism by temporarily halting the Go to Travel campaign in Osaka and Sapporo.