The paradox of the place with the second most powerful passport in the world

The Japanese passport is the second most powerful in the world, with visa-free access to 192 destinations, but more and more young people in the country are reluctant to travel internationally.

In the Henley Passport Index’s third quarter release this year, Japan and South Korea tied for second place with 192 visa-free destinations. Despite their powerful passports, only 17.5% of Japanese people currently have one. This figure reflects a growing trend among young Japanese people: prioritizing domestic travel over international travel. The results were published in a mid-year study by travel app Newt. Meanwhile, 40% of Korean citizens have passports, and in the US, that figure is 50%.

Hiroshi Tanimura, CEO of the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) and head of the international tourism department, said the decline was due to many factors such as the weak yen, high airfares, and safety concerns in many international destinations.

Japanese tourists take photos at Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Reuters

"The weak Yen is a major reason why outbound tourism is only 70% of pre-pandemic levels," according to Mr. Hiroshi.

Ashley Harvey, a travel marketing expert with more than 15 years of experience in Japan, said the decline in passports has been going on since the golden age of tourism in the 1990s. Ten years ago, the rate of passport holders was still at 23%. The pandemic was a turning point for many people to look at the world and feel that Japan was safe and comfortable enough that they did not renew their passports when they expired, according to Harvey.

The recent 35% depreciation of the yen has made foreign travel even more unaffordable for many middle-income Japanese.

However, nearby destinations such as South Korea and Taiwan, which are served by low-cost airlines, still attract Japanese tourists thanks to reasonable costs and short travel times. But attracting more distant destinations such as Europe or North America is forecast to be "difficult".

JATA is stepping up its campaign to promote international destinations, including Vietnam, Southeast Asia and even Türkiye - places that attract large numbers of Japanese tourists this summer.

Currently, Japan's population is 123 million, of which about 21 million have passports. In the first 6 months of the year, Japan was the top 5 market sending visitors to Vietnam with nearly 393,000 arrivals, after mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan and the US.

"Work is too busy and prices are rising, so I only plan to go to Hiroshima for a few days with my family this summer," said Mr. Hiroshi.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/chuyen-nguoc-doi-o-noi-co-ho-chieu-manh-thu-hai-the-gioi-post292696.html