Airlines pump up for Japan’s Oct 11 reopening with scores of special deals
With Japan set to open its doors to tourists from October 11, airlines have started wooing people waiting for the past two years to visit the Land of the Rising Sun.
Thai Airways International (THAI), AirAsia, ZipAir and VietJet Air are all competing to offer the best deal.
THAI roundtrip flights to major Japanese cities cost between 15,385 and 25,490 baht, provided reservations are made by October 7 and tickets are used up between October 30 and December 15. The airline flies to Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Nagoya and Fukuoka.
AirAsia, meanwhile, is offering one-way fares for between 3,690 and 8,430 baht to Fukuoka, Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo. Reservations, however, close on September 25 for flights to Fukuoka between October and March and to other Japanese cities between January and October next year.
Meanwhile, Japan Airlines’ low-cost carrier ZipAir is offering one-way fares between Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Tokyo’s Narita at the starting price of 4,950 baht. One-way fares go down to 2,350 baht for children aged six and less. Reservations must be made before March 3.
VietJet is offering one-way tickets between Bangkok and Fukuoka from 3,999 baht.
On Thursday, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida announced that Japan will allow independent tourism and abolish its daily cap on arrivals from October 11. Visa-free entry for travellers from 68 countries will also be restored.
This long-awaited announcement comes after Japan put in place strict Covid-19 restrictions since the pandemic first struck in 2020.
In June, Japan began allowing entry to foreigners on guided tours and by September, the daily arrival cap was raised to 50,000.
In 2019, Japan welcomed a record 31.88 million foreign tourists, but arrivals plummeted to just about 250,000 in 2021 due to tight restrictions.
