Wendy Wu Tours adds Japan departure as country prepares to reopen

Wendy Wu Tours has reported its highest ever proportion of Japan bookings ahead of the country’s reopening, prompting it to add a new itinerary.

Japan is set to welcome back UK tourist groups from tomorrow (June 10), which has prompted a surge in bookings.

The specialist tour operator reported 100% of all sales yesterday (June 8) were for Japan, up from an average of 35%.

More: Japan to ease Covid curbs for UK visitors from June

In an interview with Travel Weekly, Wendy Wu, founder of Wendy Wu tours, said: “In the UK, 100% of all our sales yesterday were for Japan when normally it’s around the 30-40% mark. We have never seen Japan be so dominant in our UK sales market – it’s fantastic.”

To meet demand, Wendy Wu has added a departure for July 26 to give its customers the opportunity to be among the first tourists to return to Japan. The £5,690 tour will be an 11-day Jewels of Japan itinerary, which includes a tour of Tokyo, visit to Mount Fuji, bullet train to Kyoto, visit to Hiroshima and night in Osaka.

Wu said: “We want our people to be among the first to visit Japan and experience the magic of the country reopening. We don’t normally do departures in the summer, but we are adding this one as we know it will be a magical experience.

“For two and a half years, Japan has not had a single tourist but now, for the first time, they will see tourists and they will be so welcoming. There will be no crowds, everything has been rejuvenated so it will be a pristine experience and entirely authentic.”

In addition, Wendy Wu is increasing capacity on its 2023 cherry blossom tours, and has urged agents to book places as soon as possible.

Wu said: “The whole world flocks to Japan to experience the cherry blossoms so it is always competitive to get a spot on tours. On top of that, some of our customers booked their tour for 2020, which got pushed back to 2021, then 2022 and now to 2023, so a large chunk of places have already been booked.

“We have added some additional capacity, but the travel trade must tell their customers if they want to experience cherry blossoms then they should book now, don’t wait. Spots are likely to sell out really quickly.”

To enter Japan, travellers must be sponsored and registered on the Entrants, Returnees Follow-up System (EFRS) by an approved Japanese travel agency, such as Wendy Wu.

Additionally, travellers must show proof of vaccination, take a Covid test within 72 hours prior to flying, sign a written pledge and complete an online health questionnaire.