Tourism China lifts travel ban on group tours to Japan

The ban has been lifted in stages. Chinese tour groups can visit about 60 countries at present, including those in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America, but Japan has not been on the approved list until now. China allows individuals to travel to Japan, but the country has relatively strict rules for issuing individual tourist visas, such as a high income threshold. The restrictions are looser for visas for group travel and Beijing's move is likely to lead to a substantial increase in visitors from China. A Japan Tourism Agency survey in 2019 found that 30.3% of Chinese visitors to the country for sightseeing or leisure were on group tours. Visitors from mainland China totaled 9.59 million in 2019, about 30% of all overseas visitors to Japan, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. Although the resumption of group tours will benefit industries such as retail, transportation and hotels, Japan's tourism sector faces a continued labor crunch. Hotel room rates are also rising as tourists from abroad return.

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In 2019, 9.59 million Chinese tourists visited Japan, accounting for 30 percent of foreign travelers. Tourists from China spent 1.77 trillion yen ($12.30 billion), 36.8 percent of the total spending by inbound travelers.

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