Japan hands out free flights to visitors amid global overtourism fears: ‘Doesn’t make sense’

Konnichi-wow.

As hot destinations like Italy and Spain say “basta!” and, well, “¡Basta!” the scourge of overtourism, one popular country apparently likes having visitors so much, they’re giving them free flights.

Japan Airlines is currently shelling out free domestic hops within the island nation to international travelers — at a time when the world’s manga capital is has also experienced unprecedented levels of interest, thanks in part to a significantly weakened yen.

The carrier said that the goal of the promotion is to promote Japan’s more off-the-beaten-bath locales. The deal is available to people traveling from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Thailand, Australia, Vietnam, the Philippines, China, India, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

Passengers must first book international round-trip tickets and then book domestic flights on the same purchase to see the savings.

Failing to move on from the main hubs within 24 hours will see passengers slapped with a $100 penalty in the form of a layover fee.

While the intention is to bring attention to less-appreciated attractions outside of the usual circuit, experts fear things could backfire — leading to more people in already saturated locales.

As it is, World Travel and Tourism Council research projects Japan to rake in a record-breaking $42B equivalent in travel revenue before the year ends.

That’s 5.7% over 2019 — the last record-holder.

“People will continue to flock to popular destinations like Tokyo, regardless of free tickets, because they are major attractions,” Sara Aiko, founder of the Curated Kyoto travel agency, told Business Insider.

“Hotel prices have skyrocketed due to tourism, making it difficult for many locals to stay at places they used to enjoy,” Aiko said.

Ben Julius, founder of Tourist Japan agrees, noting that almost all of his clients want to see icons like Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Mount Fuji, where tourists have relentlessly been irritating the local community.

“The majority of visitors are first-time visitors,” he said.

“And when people visit Japan for the first time, they won’t miss the must-see cities.”

On top of the prospective backfiring, Japan travel adviser Amy Thomasson also thinks it could be a tourist head-scratcher that they ultimately opt out of.

She said it “doesn’t make sense for most travelers” due to extra costs incurred by adding new destinations on to their original trip, not to mention the possible layover fee if they opt not to.