Japan has had a tumultuous love affair with winter sports and resorts now face a number of long-term threats — from declining interest in snow sports to climate change — that have been compounded by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The domestic ski boom of the 1980s, fueled by the economic bubble and bookended by the 1972 Sapporo and 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, led to a record 18 million skiers and snowboarders visiting the 700-plus ski resorts that dotted the country in 1998. Before the pandemic, inbound skiers were a growing market, helping to stabilize the decline in domestic interest. Between 2013 and 2018, the number of inbound skiers in Japan increased from around 300,000 to more than 880,000. The increasing significance of international guests to ski resorts has led to mounting concern about the effects of Japan’s strict COVID-19 border measures — which currently prevent tourists from entering the country — as they extend into a second winter season. Read more with the link in our bio. 📸 Oscar Boyd (@oscar.boyd)
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