From 7 September, Japan will increase its 20,000 a day limit on international arrivals to 50,000 and also permit package tours – including self-guided tours – for the first time since the onset of Covid-19, so long as they are arranged by a government-approved operator or agency like InsideJapan.

“We are excited to hear from agents whose customers are keen to book trips for either later this year or next," said Inside Travel Group director and co-founder Alastair Donnelly, speaking exclusively to TTG after the easing of restrictions was confirmed on Wednesday (31 August).

“However, balancing providing a top service for the bookings we already have with servicing new enquiries will be a challenge for sure, and we’ll definitely need to ask our agent partners for help in that,” he added.

InsideJapan Tours was one of the first western operators to bring tourists back to Japan following the loosening of Covid restrictions in June this year, which allowed escorted tours around the country. “Since then, 1% of the 8,000 or so tourists visiting Japan were travelling with InsideJapan,” Donnelly revealed.

While other operators were cancelling trips, Donnelly said the operator had been working with its agent partners to ensure all trips to Japan could go ahead, regardless of the restrictions.

“This means our full autumn program, for both direct and bookings through the trade, is still active and we are looking forward to welcoming the nearly 1,000 passengers we already have booked to come to Japan during the remainder of the year,” he said.

’Bumper year’

Donnelly acknowledged that with most travellers preferring self-guided packages, the latest announcement was likely to have a much larger impact on visitor numbers – warning with pent-up demand would come some capacity challenges.

However, he struck an upbeat tone. “The vast majority of customers like to travel on self-guided packages and so we are absolutely thrilled that – finally – all those people who have stuck with us though the long, dark days of the pandemic will be able to take their trips," he said. "A lot of people are going to be very happy indeed."

Despite the easing of travel restrictions, tourists will still need to navigate some logistical challenges, Donnelly said. “Tourists will still need to travel with companies such as InsideJapan who are authorised by the Japanese government and will need to obtain a visa.

"As the country’s foremost Japan specialist, we are able to provide all the support necessary to complete the paperwork. Fortunately, with the dropping of the guiding requirements, we expect the visa application to be a lot more straightforward.”

Two years and five months after Japan closed its borders to the world, Donnelly said the full tourism reopening “marks the point at which we can finally get back to doing what we do better than any travel company in the world – making people’s Japan travel dreams come true".

“We see 2023 as being a bumper year for InsideJapan Tours," he added. "But even so, for the next year, Japan will be quieter than it was pre-pandemic and there really has never been a better time to visit.”