Tour operators have allayed public concern over a possible revocation of visa-free privileges granted by Japan as the number of Thais overstaying has soared.
The Department of Consular Affairs addressed this issue in December last year, as the number of Thais overstaying grew from 8,688 in 2021 to 9,549 in 2022 and 11,472 in 2023.
According to news reports, the Japanese government wants Thailand to urgently address this issue as it might affect the continuity of the visa-free policy in 2025 if it is not remedied.
Chotechuang Soorangura, vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, said the number of Thais overstaying the 15-day visa remains relatively small compared with the 995,500 outbound tourists from Thailand in 2023, less than 2% of the outbound market to Japan.
If the Japanese government intends to reintroduce visa requirements, he said it would likely start after Osaka hosts Expo 2025, which runs from April to October, as Tokyo pledged to facilitate the massive flow of tourists attending the six-month event.
Mr Chotechuang said the problem of illegal workers is not as much of a challenge in Japan as South Korea because of the weak yen.
Workers in recent years earn less than usual when converting their salaries from yen to baht.
There is also much less demand for illegal workers from Japanese employers as they can legally hire workers from other Southeast Asian countries who often have more required skills than Thais, he said.
Thai travellers should not worry about a stricter immigration screening process upon arrival in Japan, unlike in South Korea, as Japan still depends on tourism to drive the economy, said Mr Chotechuang.
Pedestrians walk across Shibuya Crossing in the Shibuya district of Tokyo on February 27, 2024. (Photo: AFP)
Thai tourists tend to comply with Japanese customs and cause fewer concerns than other nationalities, he said.
However, with tourism congestion persisting in many places in Japan, there is a possibility more attractions and destinations will impose a levy or even a ban to reduce visitor numbers, said Mr Chotechuang.
Recently travellers to Mount Fuji were informed of a US$13 fee and a quota for visitors each day.
Osaka is considering a new levy on foreign travellers, in addition to its existing accommodation tax of ¥100.
Gion, a famous district in Kyoto, is imposing a ban on foreign tourists in a bid to prevent them from entering private streets from April, as local residents are uneasy about the rapid increase in the number of visitors.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, 90,600 Thais visited Japan in January, while 74,205 Japanese travelled to Thailand in the same period.
Since July 2013, the Japanese government has waived visas for Thai visitors to drive the tourism industry after the incident at Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The scheme was temporarily halted during the pandemic, but the measure resumed in October 2022.
