(Yicai Global) May 4 -- As Japan changed its policy to stop requiring Covid-19 tests or vaccine certificates from Chinese passengers, tourism is expected to return to normal in July, according to the largest travel agency in Japan.

Some 21.1 million international tourists will visit Japan this year, up almost seven times from last year, while the inflow of Chinese tourists will rebound from July, JTB predicted recently.

On April 29, or more than a week earlier than expected, Japan changed its entry policy so Chinese citizens no longer need to provide a negative Covid-19 test result or a vaccine certificate to board flights. 

On April 28, a Chinese traveler surnamed Chen who was going to Japan, said to Yicai Global that departure lounges at the airport were not too busy, but accommodation prices in Japan have risen several times.

Chinese travelers are a lifeline for the Japanese tourism industry. In 2019, some 31.9 million foreign tourists visited Japan, and almost 53 percent of them were from China's mainland or the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, or Taiwan province, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. Tourists coming from the mainland spent JPY1.8 trillion (USD13.4 billion) in Japan in 2019, or almost 37 percent of the total of foreign tourists.

An official from the Yokohama Culture and Tourism Bureau said to Yicai Global that more Chinese tourists should visit the city which has many stores that serve clients in several languages and accept payment in Chinese methods such as WeChat, Alipay, and UnionPay.

Editors: Shi Yi, Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi