A man is warning others to be careful when booking flights having found out that they can no longer embark on the trip of a lifetime.
Donal and his wife Dominika were heading to Japan for their tenth wedding anniversary in September. However, as the trip became closer they received a message from a Japanese train company wondering what they wanted to do with their tickets.
This was the first time that Donal realised that their trip would no longer be possible, due to a change in Covid-19 regulations. Independent tourists are currently not allowed into the country, with the rules expected to stay the same until Autumn.
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Donal now fears he will be at the loss of thousands of euro as he is not able to get a refund for their Lufthansa flights.
He said: "After 2 years of being cooped up due to Covid this was supposed to be our big occasion and without doubt the most costly holiday but we had saved up and were really looking forward to it.
"We booked flights in April with Lufthansa to fly from London to Japan. Also booked separate Ryanair flights from Dublin to London to connect to these flights (and had to book hotels in London for each night either side of the flights). Japan train tickets also booked. This was all booked in April 2022.
"Then a few weeks ago in early July I received an email from Japan trains asking what I wanted to do with my tickets due to the new travel restrictions because of Covid. I looked into this more and then found out that Japan was drastically curtailing the number of tourists allowed into the country.
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"I then contacted the Japanese embassy in Dublin and they confirmed that their borders are effectively closed unless you booked your flights through a travel agent as the travel agent could then apply for a special visa for us to be allowed temporarily into the country.
"Japan is doing this to limit the number of tourist traffic into the country. I don't know anyone who books flights through travel agents so the embassy confirmed that we would not be able to get into the country at the moment unless we completely rebooked our trip via a travel agent."
Donal then discovered that his airline's policy had changed and he would not be able to get a refund on their flights.
He said: "I called Lufthansa airline and I asked them what their policy was due to countries closing because of Covid. They said that they changed their policy in June 2022 (just few weeks ago) so they no longer offer refunds. I then asked if we could move our flights out to next year and they said yes we could but for moving these flights it would cost us nearly €1,200 (the original flights cost €1,800).
"I was in shock when I was informed of this and decided not to proceed with this option as Japan could easily close their borders again next year and we could find ourselves in more debt."
The whole experience has been an absolute nightmare for the excited couple. They are eager to warn other holidaymakers who also risk losing thousands of euro.
Donal said: "I don't want anyone else who is booking a flight from Dublin or Ireland to Japan because you're not going to get any warning. Maybe things will pop up at this stage but it didn't for us. You can still buy the flights now.
"I kept asking why the flights were still available to be booked and their response was that there were still a lot of business flights. People there on business are still allowed into the country. The embassy said that there is a chance that restrictions might be eased in October. My wife was in tears for a few days. She was very upset and then angry about it. It's just because it was our anniversary. We feel guilty booking anything else after losing so much money. It's frustrating."
The Department of Foreign Affairs website currently advises citizens to use a "high degree of caution" before travelling to Japan. Its website explains that tourists are currently not able to enter without a visa.
It says: "The visa waiver system remains suspended. Non-resident Irish citizens will not be able to enter Japan as a visitor without a valid visa.
"The Government of Japan is currently accepting visa applications for travel to Japan for certain categories of short term and long term stays, including for the purposes of business, employment or study. Visa applications for tourism travel may also be permitted provided applicants are sponsored and registered on the ERFS system by an approved travel agency."
Dublin Live has contacted Lufthansa airlines for comment.
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