Japan's iconic Mount Fuji is struggling with overtourism.
25.08.2023 - 14:01 / skift.com
Japan’s service-sector sentiment rebounded in February for the first time in four months, a government survey showed on Wednesday, a sign that the removal of COVID-19 curbs is giving a much-needed boost to the country’s sluggish consumption.
The outcome offers some relief for policymakers fretting that rising living costs could discourage households from shopping and traveling, thereby derailing Japan’s delayed recovery from the scars of the pandemic.
The survey of workers such as taxi drivers, hotel workers and restaurant staff, called “economy watchers” for their proximity to consumer and retail trends, showed their confidence about current economic conditions stood at 52.0 in February, up 3.5 points from the previous month.
“With more events and concerts being held, passenger numbers for international and domestic flights are starting to return to pre-pandemic levels,” a taxi driver was quoted as saying in the survey.
There is also hope the government’s decision to ease COVID restrictions on travelers from China will give a boost to retailers and other industries reliant on inbound tourism.
“We’re seeing clear signs of recovery in travel demand, which has been lackluster so far,” a travel agency was quoted as saying in the survey.
Shares of Japanese retailers rallied on Wednesday on optimism for a return of mainland Chinese tourists, helping lift the Nikkei stock average to a 3-1/2 month high.
But the survey also quoted a convenience store operator as saying that companies and households were seeing budgets squeezed by rising utility bills, suggesting the outlook for consumption remained murky.
Japan’s economy averted recession in the fourth quarter but rebounded much less than expected due to soft capital expenditures, highlighting the fragile state of the country’s recovery.
While policymakers hope households will boost spending with savings accumulated during COVID curbs, soaring fuel and raw material costs have eroded purchasing power.
Real wages fell by the most in nearly nine years in January as inflation hit a four-decade high, data showed on Tuesday, boding ill for the outlook for consumption.
Japan's iconic Mount Fuji is struggling with overtourism.
This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with The Points Guy.
On a grey, rainy Saturday a steady stream of tour buses arrive at a base station of Japan’s Mount Fuji depositing dozens of lightly dressed foreign tourists in front of souvenir shops and restaurants.
The three-day TGTM 2023 is set as a centre stage for Thai golf businesses to network and discuss business opportunities with overseas golf-holiday specialists.
Brazil will mandate visitors from the U.S., Australia and Canada obtain an e-visa prior to entering the country starting January 10, 2024, according to Embratur, Brazil tourism’s board.
In-flight disasters are flooding headlines these days as the post-pandemic era prompts a mass return to travel.
Passengers on a three-hour flight from Manila to Fukuoka had to endure an 11-hour roundtrip journey after a series of unfortunate hiccups on the way to their destination.
The Japan Rail Pass, one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to travel around the country, is going up in price this fall.
In a country revered for its hospitality, nowhere says omotenashi quite like a Japanese ryokan. Ryokan are a type of inn where guests are encouraged to mingle in communal ochanoma (tea rooms) and unwind in onsen baths. While associated with rural destinations in Japan, there is a prevalence of authentic ryokan in Tokyo.
Since 1981, the Japan Rail Pass has provided overseas visitors with budget-friendly access to unlimited rides on the country’s local and regional lines, as well as the famed shinkansen bullet trains, which can reach an operational speed of 200 miles per hour, at prices unchanged in decades. Indeed, visitors to Japan in 2023 pay the same unadjusted amount for a two-week rail pass as they did in 1989.
The Japanese government announced on Friday it’s planning to resume its domestic travel discount program in the new year.
Visitor arrivals to Japan jumped to nearly 1 million in November, the first full month after the country scrapped Covid-19 curbs that effectively halted tourism for more than two years, data showed on Wednesday.