Japan fully reopens to tourists this week after two years of COVID-19 restrictions. However, shuttered shops and a shortage of hospitality workers threaten the country’s hopes for a tourism boom.
From Tuesday, Japan will reinstate visa-free travel to dozens of countries, ending some of world’s strictest border controls to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is counting on tourism to help invigorate the economy and reap some benefits from the yen’s slide to a 24-year low.
Japan’s tourism industry has been upended by COVID-19
Just over half a million visitors have come to Japan so far in 2022, compared with a record 31.8 million in 2019. The government had a goal
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