Could Foreign Tourists Be Allowed to Travel to Tokyo Disney Resort Soon?

Tokyo Disneyland just opened its largest park expansion which includes a brand new Beauty and the Beast attraction with incredible effects (you NEED to watch this video), a super cute Baymax attraction, and more!

Beauty and the Beast Attraction at Tokyo Disneyland ©Tokyo

But, if you don’t live in Japan, you likely can’t exactly get to Tokyo Disney Resort at the moment.

According to The Japan Times, Japan currently refuses entry from 159 countries and regions due to the coronavirus, but it has lifted the ban some for business travelers. The Japan Times reports that Japan is considering further ways to lift this ban for tourists in general, particularly in consideration of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games which are set to take place in the summer of 2021.

The Happy Ride with Baymax at Tokyo Disneyland ©Disney

The removal of the entry ban for tourists would signal a turning point in Japan’s efforts regarding the coronavirus. The Japanese government is now using the phrase “journey” to refer to the entire process of a foreign tourist entering, visiting, and then leaving Japan. The government is now discussing specific countermeasures to be taken at each stage in the “journey.”

Tokyo Disneyland ©Disney

It’s expected that Japan will “set up an exclusive consultation center for foreign tourists who are suspected of having been infected with the new coronavirus and ask tourists to provide information on their health condition via a smartphone app.” Specifically, the government plans to ask tourists to download this health check app when they obtain visas to visit Japan in their home countries. Tourists will then be asked to report their health condition through the app for 14 days after entry.

©Disney | Tokyo Disney Resort Grand Reopening

Additionally, The Japan Times reports that the Japanese government plans to “oblige foreign tourists to acquire certification that they tested negative for the coronavirus before departure and buy private medical insurance to prepare for possible infection with the virus after entering Japan.”

©Disney | Tokyo Disney Resort Grand Reopening

Additionally, tourists will need to test negative for the virus in an examination they’ll undertake when entering Japan in order to watch any Olympic or Paralympic events. The Japan Times notes that the government is likely to exempt tourists from self-quarantine at a hotel provided all of the other rules and regulations are followed. Some government sources have noted that it has also been proposed to set up public health centers in Tokyo to deal with foreign tourists with a fever or other coronavirus symptoms.

©Disney

These countermeasures are planned to be drawn up by the government by January of 2021, with the goal being to start accepting foreign tourists in April of next year on a trial basis. But, several details and issues, including how many tourists will be allowed to enter, what areas tourists may visit, and how to handle those tourists whose countries have visa waiver agreements with Japan, are still pending. The government source who spoke with The Japan Times noted that they’ll just have to “monitor future global infection situations closely.”

Tokyo Disney Resort

In other words, as much as some foreign tourists may want to visit Tokyo, it seems those trips will likely not be possible until next year, at the earliest. Also, even if the tourist ban is lifted, it’s unclear what areas tourists may be allowed to visit — including theme parks like Tokyo Disney Resort, and it’s unclear whether Tokyo Disney Resort itself will put specific limitations or restrictions of its own regarding foreign tourists.

Click here to go behind the scenes at the new Beauty and the Beast ride in Tokyo Disneyland!

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