Japan cuts red tape for private jets, superyachts for smooth-sailing luxury travel
- Japan wants to simplify landing regulations at airports for foreign-registered jets as part of its broader drive to attract big-spending tourists
- Wealthy tourists made up only 0.9 per cent of all foreign arrivals to Japan in 2019, but they accounted for 11.5 per cent of total tourist spending
More than 10 per cent of Japan’s tourist earnings come from a tiny number of ultra-rich visitors, and the government wants to encourage more of them to visit – and more frequently.
Travel operators say the initiative could lure multimillionaires zipping across the Asia-Pacific region who have the sudden urge to stop by a temple in Kyoto, or have an afternoon on the ski slopes of Niseko.
And Japan’s high-end travel sector is booming, from the new Bvlgari Hotel in Tokyo to the luxurious Sowaka hotel in Kyoto, and dinner at Aragawa, in the Nishi-Shimbashi district of the capital, where the meal will set you back well over 100,000 yen (US$700) a head.
But they warn Japan still lacks the infrastructure expected by the globe-trotting rich, such as departure lounges, concierge and limousine services they are used to in Monaco, Dubai or Aspen, Colorado.
The Japanese government confirmed that it intends to simplify landing regulations at airports for foreign-registered jets as part of its broader drive to attract big-spending tourists.
According to the transport ministry, the requirement that a foreign private jet provide 10 days’ notice before touching down will be cut to just three days.
“The government here is taking the very important first step,” Ashley Harvey, a travel marketing analyst who has worked in Japan’s travel sector for more than 15 years. “But there is only so much they can do in terms of easing the rules, and in many ways, it’s up to the private sector to seize this opportunity and to run with it.”
But with vision and commitment, coastal cities like Fukuoka, Atami or Naha could attract yachts of the same magnitude as Monte Carlo, Dubai or Singapore, he added.
Japan’s transport ministry will also introduce a system to apply for landing up to 24 hours in advance in what it terms “unavoidable circumstances”.
It is currently drawing up plans to revise the Civil Aeronautics Law.
A total of 5,962 people arrived in Japan aboard private jets in 2019, Kyodo News reported.
That figure dropped to 1,332 in 2021, a decline linked to the coronavirus pandemic yet rebounded to 3,142 last year as travel rebooted.
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Similarly, the national government is working with local authorities in port towns to devise ways to lure owners of superyachts, defined as luxurious cruisers at least 24 metres in length.
Aware that a number of cities on the Mediterranean Sea and in the Caribbean have built much of their tourism industry on catering to the needs of yacht-owners, Japan is hoping it can provide new destinations in the Pacific.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is planning to send a team of officials to port towns on the Mediterranean to determine the needs of superyacht-owners, including berthing facilities.
As well as a number of berths within Tokyo Bay, such as the Odaiba district in the heart of the city and Yokohama to the south, the local authority is looking into developing the port facilities on the Ogasawara and Izu Islands, due south of the capital.
“There has already been a big recovery in demand at the high end of the travel market here and I’m sure it is only going to get even busier,” said Hiro Miyatake, founder of the Bear Luxe Corp network of high-end travel companies.
“So yes, making it easier and smoother for people arriving on private jets is a positive step, but my concern is what will happen when they disembark and want to continue their journey,” he told This Week in Asia.
“Customs and immigration procedures need to be made faster and easier because these people do not want to be kept waiting and there need to be luxury lounges available for transfers to helicopters or limousines to their final destinations,” Miyatake said.
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The government is relaxing rules governing foreign-flagged yachts arriving in Japanese ports, including customs requirements, and permitting crew members to stay in Japan for longer time periods.
Miyatake said he would like to see a “one-stop shop” for both private aircraft owners and the operators of luxury yachts, possibly under the transport ministry, where anyone planning to visit Japan could go for advice and help with the relevant paperwork.
The Japanese government has set a near-term target for inbound tourists to spend 5 trillion yen (US$35.64 billion) a year.
Wealthy travellers spend proportionally more than average, with 287,000 individuals spending 1 million yen (US$7,100) or more when they visited in 2019. And while the wealthy accounted for only 0.9 per cent of all foreign arrivals, they accounted for 11.5 per cent of total tourist spending.
