Japan to speed up entry process as tourist wave hits new record
FOREIGN visitors arriving in Japan may get to breeze through immigration soon as the country looks for new ways to amplify a tourism boom that is boosting its economy.
The government will introduce a new preclearance system from next January, starting with tourists from Taiwan, NHK reported. Visitors will be able to complete most of their immigration screening before departure to help shorten the time taken for entry procedures on arrival, according to the report.
The decision comes with record numbers of tourists already visiting the country. Around 17.8 million people came in the first half of the year, according to a Kyodo report. June also marked the fourth straight month where monthly visitors exceeded three million while spending by foreign tourists for the April to June quarter hit a record 2.1 trillion yen ($17.9 billion), the report said.
The weak yen is driving the influx of tourists into the country, providing a boost to Japan’s fragile economy and its regions. The currency hit a 38-year low against the dollar earlier this month as the gap in interest rates between Japan and the US continues to keep downward pressure on the currency.
The slump in the yen has turned Japan from a pricey bucket-list trip to a relatively inexpensive tourism and shopping destination. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to declare that eight trillion yen of spending by foreign visitors is within sight in 2024 at a meeting to promote tourism on Friday, the Nikkei reported.
While the weakness in the yen is attracting tourists and shoppers to Japan, it is also fuelling the strongest inflation cycle in decades, a factor that is dragging on domestic consumer spending.
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There has also been a growing backlash among some locals annoyed by the ever-increasing influx.
Kyoto’s local district council has banned visitors from the narrow private streets of the Gion district, while local authorities in Fujikawaguchiko erected a barrier to stop tourists from taking photos at a convenience store with Mount Fuji in the background. BLOOMBERG
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