Japan tops many “best travel destinations” lists and is expected to welcome record numbers of tourists in 2024.
But China faces a different reality: International tourists are returning much more slowly.
The two countries lifted coronavirus-related border restrictions relatively late – Japan in October 2022, China in January 2023 – but their post-pandemic recovery trajectories have since diverged.
Increased demand from both countries
According to the National Immigration Administration, demand for travel to China continues to increase, with a 130% annual increase in foreign tourists from January to July.
Summer travel has also increased, with inbound bookings doubling since last summer, a representative for travel website Trip.com told reporters. CNBC Travel.
However, arrivals remain well below pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, China welcomed approximately 49.1 million tourists – as of July this year, About 17.25 million foreigners entered the countryAccording to Chinese state media.
Japan, for its part, is also struggling – but weighed down by its own popularity.
Since March, more than 3 million international tourists have visited every month, well above 2019 levels.
Joydeep Chakraborty, chief strategy and investment officer at Southeast Asia travel app Traveloka, said that in addition to its fascination with Japanese culture, the country’s current “it” status is partly due to initiatives taken by the Japanese government result.
“The government has long been committed to making Japan a top tourist destination through efforts to support the tourism industry, such as enhancing visitor experience and simplifying the travel process for international tourists,” he said.
The weaker yen has accelerated those efforts, he said.
“The USD/JPY exchange rate has risen from around 140 in January 2024 to over 160 in July 2024, making prices in Japan more affordable,” Chakraborty said.
On November 11, 2023, the sidewalks of Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto, Japan were crowded with people.
Moli Liang | Sopa Images | Light Rocket | Getty Images
Now Japan’s “overtourism” is making headlines again, as people flock to Kyoto’s famous temples and compete for space during cherry blossom season.
The country’s labor market— one of the strictest Developed countries before the pandemic hit are struggling to keep up. This year, 85% of tourism and hotel operators have limited operating hours due to labor shortages, according to the Japan Federation of Service and Tourism Industry Workers’ Unions.
Why interest in visiting China has declined
Flight capacity to China remains below pre-pandemic levels in many countries, especially the United States (-77%), according to airline analytics firm Cirium.
But geopolitical tensions have also taken a toll, according to the East Asia Forum, a policy network.
An article on its website is titled “The Chinese government’s tightening of social regulations may cause discomfort to foreign tourists in China.”The visa-free policy alone cannot revive China’s inbound tourism”.
China expands visa-free policy Stimulate demand for visits. According to the National Immigration Administration, about 58% of arrivals in the first half of 2024 came from countries with such arrangements.
But a Pew Research Center report shows that among 35 countries surveyed, More than half of the people opposed Chinese. Some of the world’s largest travel consumers – such as those in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and France – view China largely negatively, according to the July report.
Favorability toward China in the report was highest in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, but views in Asia were mixed.
“Opinions are often the most and The Asia-Pacific region is the least positive – middle-income countries such as Malaysia and Thailand are more positive, and high-income countries such as Australia, Japan and South Korea are more negative.
Difficulty traveling
Problems traveling in China may also keep some people at home.
Since the outbreak, China has rolled out more online payment and reservation systems, causing headaches for foreign tourists unfamiliar with China’s popular software.
Professor Songshan Huang from Edith Cowan University in Australia East Asia Forum.
“Booking high-speed rail tickets or tickets to popular tourist attractions requires the use of WeChat’s embedded program,” he wrote. “Many establishments only accept WeChat Pay or Alipay, and foreign tourists will be in trouble if they rely solely on cash or credit cards.”
