Japan tourism industry sees stormy year ahead as Tokyo Olympics delayed
Now that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have been postponed until next year, concerns are growing about whether small and midsize businesses in the tourism and service industries will be able to weather the COVID-19 storm, economists and analysts say. With tourism traffic drying up ...
Hotels in Japan roll out unusual bids to woo tourists in COVID-19 crisis
With tightening border controls and social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic limiting nonessential travel, hotels in Japan have been offering unconventional plans to attract guests.
Japan local governments' hotel tax plans delayed by spread of COVID-19
An increasing number of local governments in Japan are moving to delay discussions on whether to introduce an accommodation tax, as the hotel industry has been hit by the spread of the new coronavirus. The Nara Municipal Government has decided to postpone its proposal for ...
Kansai businesses suffer as COVID-19 alarm hurts tourism
The Japanese expression "kankodori ga naku" (literally, "the cuckoo sings") is frequently used to describe a business slump. "Kankodori" appears in a headline in Flash (Feb. 18) concerning Nara Park. Not only are visitor numbers to this destination way down, but the famous deer that ...
Masayoshi Son's big real estate venture with Oyo runs into real problems in Japan
Last March, months before the meltdown at WeWork, Masayoshi Son worked through the prospects for another one of his favorite portfolio companies — a startup from India called Oyo. In a spacious conference hall at his Tokyo headquarters, the billionaire huddled with lieutenants from the ...
Bureaucrats are to blame for copy-happy hotel clerks
With data privacy being a huge issue, you may feel uneasy about hotels photocopying your passport. However, Colin P.A. Jones says the rule is more about bureaucratic culture than privacy.
First Japan evacuees from Wuhan go home as COVID-19 quarantine ends
The first group of Japanese nationals evacuated from China's Wuhan on a government-chartered aircraft amid the COVID-19 outbreak went home Thursday after a little over two weeks in isolation. A total of 197 people had stayed at a hotel in Chiba Prefecture and various government ...
Majority of visitors to Japan not given coronavirus info at hotels
A recent survey on foreign visitors to Japan found that more than a half of those surveyed were not provided with information on the new coronavirus at hotels they were staying, such as where the infection had spread and what precautionary measures could be ...
Kansai mother and son accused of no-show scam that cost hotels ¥115 million
A mother-and-son pair in the Kansai region arrested on suspicion of obstructing business at hotels allegedly cost accommodation facilities ¥115 million in damages after they made around 3,200 booking cancellations in one year, investigative sources said Wednesday. Yukiko Kishida, 51, and her son Yukihiro, 31, ...
Marriott has no plans to offer private lodging service in Japan
Marriott International Inc. has no plans to operate a private lodging service in Japan for the time being due to strict regulations, Rajeev Menon, a senior official of the U.S. hotel chain, said in a recent interview. Although there is demand for such a service, ...
Hilton chases post-Olympic gold by bringing new luxury hotel brand to Kyoto in 2021
The Hilton group said Tuesday it will open a hotel under its newest luxury brand in Kyoto in autumn 2021, counting on a further upswell in lodging demand from tourists even after the Tokyo Olympics this summer. The timing of the planned opening for the ...
Paralympic pressure: Progress doubted on barrier-free access push
Japan is accelerating efforts to improve access to accommodations and transport for the Paralympics, but people with disabilities are questioning whether enough is being done. While the games are being touted as a chance to create a more inclusive society, 66 percent of respondents to ...
