China group tours return to Japan but big spending unlikely

Warm welcome: An airport personnel escorting Chinese tourists at the lobby of Haneda Airport in Tokyo. — Bloomberg

Chinese group tours are back in Japan but anyone banking on them arriving in droves and splashing around cash like they did before the pandemic is likely to be disappointed.

An ANA Holdings flight on Wednesday brought in the first package-tour visitors from Beijing since China lifted its pandemic-era restrictions on the trips to Japan and other key markets including the United States.