Feels like everyone thinks they're not the average tourist. Ok well the average tourist is really the tour bus, get off, take photos, back on the bus kind. But are you the average "not-average tourist" ;)
Not sure what kind of "special visa" they thought they could get... To come here right now (before this change takes effect) you need to be a permanent resident, have a work visa, or be a close family member (i.e. parent/child, not sibling) of someone who lives here. Or be a tourist with one of those tourist groups of course.
Americans coming here with iPhone 14 Pro phones aren't going to have a good time: the easy and cheap way to get cellular data here is to buy a tourist 30-day SIM card at 7-11 or the airport and put that in your phone. But the 14 Pro (US model) doesn't have a SIM slot. But that's OK: anyone with a 14 Pro should be perfectly happy to just keep their regular US phone service while overseas, and pay exorbitant roaming charges. If you look at forums discussing this issue, this is exactly what the Apple fans advocate, and that you're being cheap if you waste time on foreign SIM cards to save money.
