Japan Has the Tourists for Cherry Blossom Season But There's a Service Gap
Skift Take
Japan is still shaking off the lingering effects of its long and strict lockdowns.
Japan is having trouble servicing tourists arriving from abroad due to staffing shortages, amid surging demand for its historically popular cherry blossom season.
Japan’s cherry blossom season, when the country’s iconic sakura bloom, is a peak travel season. An some 63 million people traveled to and within Japan to see the cherry trees, a 2019 estimate found. The season runs from March 2 to as late as early May, according to the Japan National Tourist Organization.
Bookings for cherry blossom season are at an all time high due to pent-up demand with travelers moving bookings from 2020 over to 2023. There’s no hotel accommodation left or the guides that are availabl
