Flocks of tourists return to Japan after COVID restrictions lifted

A daily limit of 50,000 arrivals is gone. Airlines have added flights in response to the full re-opening of borders. Visa-free travel is back for short-term business visits and tourism from more than 60 countries.

By

World News

October 11, 2022 - 5:21 PM

A horse escaped its stall on a cargo jet headed to Belgium from New York.

TOKYO (AP) — Eager to admire colorful foliage, eat sushi and go shopping, droves of tourists from abroad began arriving in Japan on Tuesday, with the end of pandemic-fighting border restrictions that had been in place for more than two years.

“We got the news that we can finally come. We are really, really happy,” said Nadine Lackmann, a German who was among the crowd of tourists arriving at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.

Travelers like Lackmann are expected to deliver a sorely needed $35 billion boost to the world’s third-largest economy. And the flood of visitors is expected to keep growing.

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