Fancy a FREE holiday to Japan? Tourist board announces bold new plan to draw visitors back after the coronavirus pandemic stopped international travel
- The Japanese Government announced a bold plan to pay for tourists to visit
- An $18.2 billion campaign hopes to attract tourist after the COVID-19 pandemic
- The plan could see half of all travelling costs subsidised for visitors to Japan
- Japan may implement the new tourism program as early as July this year
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A bold new plan will subsidise trips to Japan in a bid to see tourist return after the coronavirus pandemic.
The Japanese Government has announced an $18.2 billion campaign that will offset travel costs for visitors.
The head of the Japan Tourism Agency, Hiroshi Tabata, said the plan hopes to attract tourists by subsidising half of their travel expenses, News.com.au reported.
A bold new plan by the Japanese government will subsidise travelling costs for visitors in a bid to see tourists return after the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo
The $18.2 billion campaign hopes to attract tourist by subsidising half of their travel expenses
Further details are yet to be revealed but the government said the program may be implemented as early as July.
Travel bans to Japan remain in place and The Australian Government has not announced when restrictions on international travel will be lifted.
The announcement followed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifting the state of emergency across all areas of Japan including in Tokyo.
The lockdown saw citizens asked to work from home, schools closed and non-essential businesses shut down.
The measures relied on voluntary compliance and saw almost no penalties enforced if people did not adhere to Mr Abe’s requests.
Japan’s population of 126 million faced 16,433 infections and 784 deaths in the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Abe said the lifting of the state of emergency did not mean the pandemic was over but reflected Japan’s success in battling COVID-19.
The Japanese Government said the program could be in place as early as July. Pictured: Kyoto
The Italian island of Sicily announced a similar program last month to encourage visitors to return after the pandemic.
Subsidies will include half the cost of a plane ticket, as well as a night at a hotel and attraction entry fees.
The Italian Government will reportedly cover the cost of one night in a hotel for every three nights stayed.
The scheme will be funded by €50 million ($84.6 million) and be available on Sicily’s tourism website.
Sicily’s tourism losses from March and April reached €1 billion ($1.6 billion).
Japan’s nationwide state of emergency has been lifted. Pictured: Japanese food