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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》Local travel agencies eyeing tours to Japan
A Japan Airlines flight takes off from Taipei International Airport （Songshan airport） on Friday last week. Photo: CNA
RESTRICTIONS TO EASE: The number of Taiwanese traveling to Japan might rise 30 percent following an easing, but high costs and visa hurdles present obstacles
Staff writer, with CNA
Taiwanese travel agencies are looking to partner with Japanese counterparts to promote tours to the East Asian country, after Tokyo on Wednesday eased travel restrictions, the Tourism Bureau has said.
The Japanese government raised the weekly inbound traveler cap from 20,000 to 50,000 and dropped the requirement that tourists arrive in guided tour groups.
The new rules would take effect on Wednesday next week, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
Authorities would release more details soon, Japanese media reported.
While travelers to Japan would not need to be accompanied by a tour guide, they must still follow the itineraries set by travel agencies, media reports said.
The bureau said local travel agencies could sell their customers flight and hotel packages, and put them in touch with Japanese travel agencies, who would take care of them while they are in Japan.
However, traveling to Japan would be more complicated than in the past, as tourists would need Japanese travel agencies to help them purchase insurance plans, and vouch for the purposes of their trips and their health condition to apply for a tourist visa, Chung Hsing Travel Service president Ringo Lee （李奇嶽） said.
The process would likely cost ￥10,000 and ￥15,000 （US$72 to US$108） for a five-to-seven day trip, Lee said.
The number of Taiwanese heading to Japan could rise 30 percent following the easing, he added
Also starting from Wednesday next week, travelers who have received three shots of a COVID-19 vaccine would not need to present the negative result of a polymerase chain reaction test upon boarding flights to Japan.
However, a shortage of flights, rising airfare costs and the month-long wait time for the approval of travel visas could discourage people from traveling to Japan, Lee said.
The daily number of arrivals to Japan was about 14,000 in July and about 20,000 last month, Immigration Services Agency of Japan data showed.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
