Japan reopens to tourists after 2 years with visa-free travel: 5 points

Japan Visa-Free Travel: Tourists will have to wear masks indoors and refrain from loud talking, Japan government has said.

Japan open its doors to visitors after over two years of Covid pandemic isolation as the country hopes for a tourism boom amid shuttered shops and a shortage of hospitality workers. With visa-free travel to dozens of countries, Japan is ending some of world's strictest border controls put in place following the Covid pandemic. The country is also counting on tourism to help revitalize the economy.

Japan Visa-Free Travel: Pedestrians wearing protective face masks, amid the coronavirus disease in Tokyo, Japan (Reuters)

Here are five points on Japan starting visa-free travel:

1. Tourists will have to wear masks indoors and refrain from loud talking, Japan government has said. Guests disobeying infection controls can be refused service as well.
2. Since easing border rules, Flag carrier Japan Airlines Co saw inbound bookings triple, according to the Nikkei newspaper.
3. The Japanese government will also begin a domestic travel initiative this month which will offer transportation and accommodation discounts.
4. Just over half a million visitors have come to Japan so far in 2022, compared with a record 31.8 million in 2019.
5. Japan is aiming to attract 5 trillion yen ($34.5 billion) in annual tourist spending, the country's premier had said last week.