Japan is giving away free flight tickets, but there is a catch. Are you eligible?

At a time when countries are taking measures to keep tourists away amid overcrowding, Japan is giving free flight tickets to international travellers.

For people who wish to visit local destinations within the island nation, Japan Airlines has come out with a great offer. It is currently giving out free domestic travel to international tourists. Japan has become a popular attraction in the past few months, especially because of a weakened yen.

The reason for such an attractive deal is to promote the country's less visited locations and sites.

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The deal is available to those coming from the US, Canada, Mexico, Thailand, Australia, Vietnam, the Philippines, China, India, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

To avail the free tickets, tourists need to first book international round-trip tickets. During the same purchase, they can then book the domestic flights on offer.

But there is a catch. Tourists need to leave the main hubs within 24 hours, or else they will be slapped with a $100 layover penalty.

The problem with free tickets

While the idea seems to be well placed, with getting more people to visit offbeat locations, experts fear that it might not fare well overall. The free tickets might lead to even more people landing in the main cities and popular tourist sites

Sara Aiko, founder of the Curated Kyoto travel agency, says, “People will continue to flock to popular destinations like Tokyo, regardless of free tickets, because they are major attractions."

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“Hotel prices have skyrocketed due to tourism, making it difficult for many locals to stay at places they used to enjoy,” Aiko told Business Insider.

Notably, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, Japan will rake in a record-breaking $42 billion in travel revenue before the year ends.

Tourism companies stress that the most popular sites in the country are on top of the wishlist of people visiting Japan and they are never going to want to miss them.

Ben Julius, founder of Tourist Japan says, all their clients want to see icons like Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Mount Fuji. "The majority of visitors are first-time visitors. And when people visit Japan for the first time, they won’t miss the must-see cities," he said.

Others believe that most tourists might opt out of booking the free tickets since it means more spending in other areas. Besides, the added penalty in case they choose not to use the free tickets can also act as a deterrent.