BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhuanet) -- The price of air tickets to Japan has been rising since May following media reports of an upcoming relaxation in Japan's visa requirements for Chinese citizens, according to travel agencies in the city.
According to a marketing manager of Shanghai China Youth Travel Agency surnamed Liu, the price of air tickets from Shanghai to Tokyo has been pushed up by the surge in bookings. "A return trip is up by 1,000 yuan ($146) compared with the price in April," he told the Global Times Saturday.
However, it appears that the media coverage surrounding the relaxation in rules, rather than the rules change itself, is what has caused the increase, as people who go to travel agencies to enquire about the new rules find that they are, in fact, already eligible for a visa.
"The requirements in the past were not as rigorous as some might have imagined," Yang Dong, vice director with the outbound tourism department of Shanghai Jinjiang International Travel Company, told the Global Times Saturday. Yang added that previous media reports that Chinese visitors to Japan needed an annual income of at least 250,000 yuan ($36,600) were "just a myth."
Yang said that the new visa requirements are yet to be finalized, and that a meeting between local travel agencies and representatives from the Japanese Consulate to discuss the regulations is scheduled for June 18.
"Hopefully, the new regulations will allow people with an annual salary above 30,000 yuan ($4,390) or those working with large-scale enterprises to get visa applications approved," said Yang.
According to Yang, visa applications to Japan are decided on a case-by-case basis by the Japanese Consulate, in cooperation with local travel agencies.
He said that the volume of travelers going from Shanghai to Japan next month will probably increase by 30 to 40 percent year-on-year.
"The new visa rules have not yet been announced, but I have already asked for leave for a trip to Japan," Wang Ling, a local office worker who has long hoped to visit Japan, but was put off by the visa restrictions, told the Global Times Saturday.
However, Liu from Shanghai China Youth Travel Agency, said that tourists will still need to have bank savings of at least 50,000 yuan ($7,320) to be eligible for a trip to Japan, which is an industry rule.
"However, regular customers who have a good record can deposit less," said Liu.
(Source: Globaltimes.cn)
