The Travel Industry Council says agencies have received many inquiries about tours to Japan, since it was announced on Friday that the country would begin accepting groups of visitors from Hong Kong.

Fanny Yeung, the council's executive director, said the first tour – comprising just two travellers – is scheduled to depart on June 19.

She said tours to Japan previously would last around three days, and involve up to 20 people. But with seven days of hotel quarantine required on return to the SAR, travellers were booking longer visits in smaller groups.

"What we anticipate is that smaller kind of group tours will be the demand, so after all, you know people tend to be more alert and prefer to travel with people which they know, instead of strangers.

"You know the feeling of security against viruses is stronger, that kind of thing, so for the travel agency when they operate for tours booked to Japan it is also one of the big changes compared to pre-pandemic."

She said a seven-day tour to Japan could cost around HK$30,000, not including the cost of a quarantine hotel on return.