Despite the increase of Covid-19, Japan continues to stimulate tourism demand

 Despite the increase of Covid-19, Japan continues to stimulate tourism demand

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on November 25 defended the Government's decision to continue the tourism support campaign to boost the economy called "Go To Travel". ").

Tokyo capital in the "Go To Travel" campaign (Photo: Kyodo)

At the same time, Mr. Suga reiterated the statement that there is no evidence that the tourism stimulus program causing the Covid-19 outbreak is taking place in the country.

The Japanese Prime Minister's remarks at a meeting of the budget committee in the House of Representatives came a day after the Japanese government said it would remove Sapporo and Osaka from the subsidy program due to the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases. -19 these two cities.

"The reality is that the 'Go To Travel' campaign is supporting local economies," Prime Minister Suga replied to a question from Yukio Edano, Chairman of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

The Japanese Prime Minister added that the Government Committee (Covid-19 Prevention and Control) on Friday announced that there was no evidence that the "Go To Travel" campaign was the main cause of the spread of Covid-19. 19.

"Go To Travel" has provided about 40 million trips for people. (Photo: Kyodo)

Japan has now recorded more than 2,000 new Covid-19 cases in the past five days, including a record number of infections for four consecutive days. The increase in new infections appearing in the provinces including Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido (including the capital Sapporo) prompted Prime Minister Suga on November 21 to request a temporary halt to bookings under the "Go To Travel" program in Hanoi. areas where Covid-19 is spreading rapidly.

In fact, the “Go To Travel” campaign has yielded some early positives. To date, this program has provided about 40 million trips to the people. However, the authorities said that 176 people participating in this tourism stimulus program had Covid-19.

“Go To Travel”

The domestic tourism stimulus program "Go To Travel" was announced by the Japanese Government from the end of July in order to revive the tourism industry of the "Rising Sun" country, which is being "heavily attacked" by the restrictions. travel restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

A tour company in Tokyo hangs an advertisement for the "Go To" campaign (Image: Kyodo)

Announced by Japan's Tourism Minister Kazuyoshi Akaba during a meeting on July 10, the "Go To" campaign is a 1.7 trillion yen initiative covering the tourism, food and beverage sectors. entertainment to help stimulate the Japanese economy, which is in recession because of Covid-19. “Go To Travel” is part of a four-part campaign to promote the local industry significantly impacted by the pandemic – the others being Go To Eat, Go To Event and Go To Shotengai (buying street) shop).

Accordingly, the "Go To Travel" program sponsors up to 50% of travel expenses for domestic trips, including overnight and day trips (limited to 20,000 yen/person/night and 10,000 yen/person/ days), including accommodation and transportation fees. The Japanese government will subsidize 35% of the total cost; The remaining 15% is a coupon that can be used at hotels, sightseeing and shopping establishments that have registered to participate in this program.

The audience of "Go To Travel" is all citizens, including foreigners, living in Japan. The program is expected to close on January 31, 2021, but could end sooner if funding runs out early.

In the context of concerns about the spread of Covid-19, Japanese authorities also introduced hygiene regulations along with this domestic tourism stimulus campaign. Accordingly, to avoid mass gathering, visitors must keep a distance of 2m and wear masks in public places. Visitors are also encouraged to regularly bring alcohol-based alcohol-based solutions and wipes to clean surfaces to avoid contact contamination, especially at the handles and tables of vehicles.