Japan will open to limited entry from today (10th), but it takes time for local tour groups to apply for tourist visas, and Hong Kong people who have signed up for a group are expected to wait at least one or two weeks before they can leave. A local travel agency originally planned to set off for the first group next Monday (13th), but the Japanese side has not responded to the matter of the travel agency in Hong Kong due to a lot of preparatory work for the switch. The websites of many travel agencies also show that since yesterday, the information of many Japanese groups has extended the departure date to the earliest on the 22nd, and the latest situation of many Japanese tour groups from the end of the month to the beginning of the next month is that they have already formed a group. .
Yuan Zhenning said that Japan has not yet provided the travel agency with the log-in information of the tour group and the passenger registration system to be launched. Yuan had inquired regarding the details at the Japan Visa Center yesterday, and received a reply that the visa procedures and required time under the limited switch were temporarily clear.
Yuan continued to point out that following the travel agency handles the visa application, the guest needs to go to the Japan Visa Center in North Point to apply for the visa in person. According to the previous visa procedures, it will take 7 days to complete the visa and the fee will be regarding HK$290. Therefore, the company has postponed the first Japanese tour to the 24th, allowing more time for customers to deal with visa issues.
As for the yen’s continuous decline in recent days, the Japanese tour group has not seen any significant price reductions. Yuan admitted that the tour fee includes air tickets and local itinerary costs. The travel agency needs to calculate the number of people in each group to make the latest price. For example, if the tour group consists of 10 people, the cost is regarding 22,800 Hong Kong dollars; but a small group of two people is regarding 50,000 Hong Kong dollars, which means that if the local entry and epidemic prevention restrictions are relaxed, and many people travel, the group fee is expected to fall.