As soon as news broke that Japan would finally welcome back overseas tourists from Friday, Tyler Palma rushed to arrange a 12-day pop culture tour across the country for an American family from Seattle.
The past two years of Covid-19 lockdowns have been brutal for Palma, who heads operations at Japan travel specialist Inside Travel Group, which halved its 200-strong workforce after the country’s borders were closed.
But relief may be limited: Japan’s new travel guidelines restrict entry to escorted visitors only. The rules have sparked chaos and confusion just as Asia’s largest advanced economy seeks to resuscitate its $36bn tourism market. Some of the country’s largest hotels have yet to book reservations from overseas tourists.
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