Since the number of visitors drops to a record low, this new proposal by the Japanese Government to support travellers expenses could see your travelling bucket list dreams come real.
A massive 99.9% drop in international visitors has led to Japan acknowledging a plan to pay up to half of a tourist’s travel expenses. Once the coronavirus outbreak is under limitation, the Government is desperate to regain Japan’s flailing tourism industry after the number of foreign travellers dramatically declined.
The proposal, which could prove much popular with travellers, is currently under attention. But the £10.2 billion plan could begin as early as July if the rate of disease continues to decline, according to the Japan Times.
Japanese Tourism Agency Commissioner Hiroshi Tabata announced last Wednesday that parts of the scheme were still being debated.
One of the proposals reportedly involves Japan paying half the cost of a tourist’s flight.
A ski resort in Nagano, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, announced the scheme; It said: “The international travel plot is still unclear however many countries around the globe are starting to emerge from the Corona Pandemic and keen to get economies back on route.
“The Japanese economy has become very reliant on tourism as an economy.
“Like many countries, it has taken a significant hit with numbers dropping by 99.9% from April 2019 to April 2020. “To counteract this and get Japan enjoyed again the Government has announced it is setting together with a scheme.
“It could cover half your travel expenses on a trip to Japan.
“Details are still being finalised, but with the 2021 Tokyo Olympics scheduled for next Summer executives are keen to get the ball moving as soon as possible once all well to do so.”
But it hasn’t been validated whether the scheme would be restricted to domestic travellers, or rolled out internationally.
The country has seen a constant decline in coronavirus cases since April with 16,628 cases reported and 851 deaths.
On Monday, Japan’s prime minister, Shinzō Abe, raised the nation’s state of emergency.
But the pandemic has left the country’s tourism sector severely affected due to the adjournment of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
A predicted 2,900 foreign travellers hit Japan in April, ahead of a summer that the country was expecting to be extremely busy.
It is the initial time since 1964 that Japan’s monthly number has slipped below the 10,000 marks. For the Brits hoping to travel soon, anyone entering Britain from June 8 will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. The new rules will apply to all holidaymakers – but will be reviewed every several weeks.
