Japanese Yen Plunges Again – With the Bank of Japan announcing an expansion of its quantitative easing program, the yen continues to depreciate, hitting a near seven-year low and approaching 113 yen per US dollar on the 3rd. In October, Japan just implemented its latest foreigner tax refund system, and with autumn and winter arriving, many Taiwanese travelers love going to Japan for maple viewing, snow appreciation, and hot spring soaking. Coupled with the upcoming Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF), Japan itineraries are expected to be highly popular.

Travel industry insiders say that every time the yen depreciates, the number of people traveling to Japan surges. Especially as both Taiwan and Japan actively promote tourism, this further boosts travel to Japan. In addition, there are more and more flight seats to Japan, which can accommodate the growing number of visitors. With the Taipei International Travel Fair kicking off this week, Japan-bound trips are bound to be hot sellers, and travel agencies are expected to offer special promotions. However, tour package prices include many items such as local transportation, staff, accommodation, and meals in Japan, so it's not expected that the exchange rate difference will be reflected immediately, but the industry will try its best to offer consumer-friendly deals.

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