Robust demand for Spring Festival in Japan
CHONGQING — Japan ranks as the leading destination for Chinese tourists from the mainland for the incoming Spring Festival holiday, according to a report.
The report, released by online travel agency Lvmama on Tuesday, shows that Japan tops the tourist destination chart for overseas travels during the upcoming holiday.
This year’s Spring Festival falls on Feb 5.
Despite the Japanese yen’s appreciation and Japan’s tax on international tourists, demand for travel to the country remains robust, with group tours on Lvmama showing solid sales, according to the website.
Zou Qingling, an executive at Lvmama, said that easy access to visas and flights, close location, abundant attractions such as hot springs and ice and snow entertainment, as well as the impact of Japanese culture, made Japan a desirable destination for mainland tourists.
Data released by Japanese tourism authorities showed that more than 30 million tourists visited the country in 2018, including more than 8 million from China.
To attract more overseas tourists, Japan has made plans. On Monday it began collecting a departure tax of 1,000 yen ($9) from individual travelers departing the country.
The new departure tax is applicable to those departing Japan by plane or ship. Children aged under 2 and those transiting within 24 hours are exempt.
For the first time since record keeping began, the Japan Tourism Agency said that inbound tourists topped 30 million in 2018. The government aims to see that rise to 40 million by 2020.
Visitor numbers from China have been strong, as well as those from South Korea. In addition, the Japanese government also aims to attract more tourists from Europe.