Philippine Airlines (PAL) lauded Japan's decision to re-open to tourists, effective October 11, after two and a half years of Covid border restrictions.

Removing the cap on the number of people entering Japan and resuming visa-free travel for visitors from specific countries, will boost flights and drive tourism traffic, according to the flag carrier.

At present, Japan only allows package tours and requires visas for all visitors, in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19.

Daily arrivals have been capped at 50,000. However, Japan will scrap the daily cap next month, on Oct 11.

By October 1, 2022, PAL flies Manila - Nagoya, 6 times weekly; Manila - Fukuoka, 7times weekly; Manila - Osaka, 13 flights weekly; Manila - Tokyo (Haneda), 12 times weekly and Manila - Tokyo (Narita), 7 times weekly.

PAL also flies Cebu - Nagoya, 4 times weekly; Cebu - Osaka, 5 times weekly and Cebu - Tokyo (Narita), 7 times weekly.

The pandemic interrupted the free flow of people, goods and capital to the country.

“But from October 11, Japan will relax border control measures to be on par with the US, as well as resume visa-free travel and individual travel,” Prime minister, Fumio Kishida stated at the New York Stock Exchange this week, as he came for the United Nations general assembly.

Although Japan never imposed a strict lockdown, unlike neighboring China, it continued to impose tough border restrictions after the rest of the world opened up.

Now, Japan is also resuming the visa-waiver program it suspended in March 2020, although the Philippines is not included in the visa-exempt list.

Before the pandemic, in 2019, some 32 million foreign tourists visited Japan.

The country recorded a total of 42,600 coronavirus deaths, lower than others. Majority, or 90 percent of its residents aged 65 and over, had three anti-covid vaccine.

People are not required to wear masks under the law though masks are commonly worn in public places.

In June this year, Japan cautiously allowed tourists to visit in groups accompanied by guides and eventually allowed self-guided package tours.

However, there is pent-up demand for travel to Japan, according to travel analytics firm ForwardKeys.

While flight bookings were just 16 percent of 2019 levels in early September, analysts expect bookings to soar the moment Japan scraps its visa rules.