Recently, the Japanese government has launched the "Go to Travel" campaign to boost tourism and consumption amid the crisis pressure from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Japanese economy has fallen into recession despite the government having launched more than 1,000 billion USD in relief.
In April 2020, Japan's tourism industry suffered heavy losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In April alone, Japan welcomed only about 2,900 international tourists, down 99.9% compared to the same period last year. This is the first time since 1964 that the number of international tourists to Japan has fallen below 10,000.
To make matters worse, the domestic tourism market has also been sluggish due to the government's anti-epidemic quarantine orders. Therefore, the Tokyo government now wants people to return to consuming, traveling and shopping to stimulate the economy after the pandemic has been controlled.
The current problem is that Japan cannot fully open its doors to international tourists due to the complicated epidemic situation abroad, so like many other countries, the domestic tourism market has become the target for stimulus policies.
On July 10, 2020, Japan's Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport - Kazuyoshi Akaba announced that he would launch a 1.7 billion yen "Go to Travel" program to stimulate domestic tourism. The program will start from July 22, 2020, half a month earlier than the original plan, and last until mid-March 2021 or until the budget runs out.
This program is one of the Tokyo government's projects to boost the economy after the Covid-19 pandemic through subsidies and promotions for local business services to attract tourists back.
The "Go to Travel" project will cover half of the cost for tourists, up to 20,000 Japanese Yen per person per night or no more than 10,000 Japanese Yen per person per day. The above amount will be provided through a combination of promotional discounts and gift certificates to be used at shops and restaurants near tourist attractions. Thus, if a tourist books a tour including: hotel, accommodation, transportation... with a total value of up to 40,000 Yen/day, the government will support up to 20,000 Yen.
In theory, foreign tourists will also be eligible for the subsidy if they book their tours through agencies participating in the Japanese government's stimulus program. Of course, Japan remains closed to a number of countries, and only a few countries that have reopened their borders can participate in the program.
The procedures for registering for the above project and the steps for refunds are still being developed by the Japanese government, but they will most likely be paid via credit card or bank transfer. In addition, the conditions for participating in this tourism stimulus program have not been specifically announced, but the Japanese people are extremely excited about these government relief policies.
In addition to "Go to Travel", the Tokyo government is also considering a series of other stimulus projects such as: "Go to Eat", "Go to Shop"... According to local media, the "Go to Eat" program will offer a 20% discount and a maximum of 1,000 Yen for any citizen who books a table online at restaurants and eateries.
