Chinese tourists travelling more independently to Japan

Traditionally, Chinese tourists would travel to Japan in tourist groups, because many of them lacked the experience travelling abroad and needed professional guidance. However, with Chinese citizens becoming more wealthy and gaining more experience travelling overseas, more of them are inclined to travel independently to Japan.

An important prerequisite for travelling independently abroad is the proficiency with the internet. Now, the new generations of Chinese tourists are relying more on the Internet and have the capacity to make use of the abundant resources online. They can book their trips with mobile apps and thereby customize their travelling experiences. Furthermore, new Chinese tourists are also likely to refer to the travel experiences and recommendations of other tourists online, which enables them to form their own ideas of travelling.

This is the trend taking place in Japan. According to Tsuyoshi Kondo, president of the Tokyo-based consulting company Friendly Japan, the number of independent Chinese travelers in Japan is steadily rising because an individual tour is more attractive than a package tour. On the other hand, the widespread influence of social media also motivates more people to organize their own trips, as many travelers would post their unique travelling experiences online.

Another significant reason for the rising number of individual travelers in Japan is the lifting of the previous visa barriers. Previously, it was difficult for Chinese tourists to acquire a visa to go to Japan. With more Chinese tourists visiting Japan and bringing more tourism revenue, Japan has decided to facilitate the visa application for Chinese tourists, which motivates more Chinese tourists to travel to the country.

Last year, the word “Bakugai” was chosen as the word of the year in Japan, which means “explosively shopping” of the Chinese tourists. Different travel destinations and shopping centers in Japan are also targeting the incoming Chinese tourists and providing them with better services so that they would like to return.

Source: The Japan Times

Photo: flickr