According to JNTO, the number of tourists to Japan reached 10 million in 2014 and had increased. The Japanese government set a goal of 40 million foreign visitors to Japan in 2020. In 2019, approximately 28 million foreigners enjoyed their holidays in Japan, and thanks to the Olympics, Japan grabbed more attention from all over the world. However, the situation completely changed because of COVID-19, the figure of tourists to Japan declined by 99,9%.
Under the pandemic, Japan lost a lot of positive economic effects from tourists. To tackle this problem, the government started a new program called ‘Go To Travel Campaign’ to Japanese citizens. Does the government really care about residents in Japan? Does it just prioritize the economy? This campaign is controversial in some ways.
What is Go To Travel Campaign?
The purpose of the campaign is to motivate people to travel during the pandemic, to revive local economies by visiting and spending money there, and to build a new norm of tourism under this harsh situation.
- People get a 35% discount from the total amount of their one-day trip or short-trip (domestic travel only).
- In addition, people get a voucher which is equivalent to 15% of their total expense for booking, by which they can buy products or receive service during their trip.
- This campaign covers up to 20,000 yen per person and per night (if a one-day trip, up to 10,000 yen)
- People can use the campaign over and over.
(Reference: Japan Tourism Agency)
Why is the campaign controversial?
Go To Travel Campaign began from late July when the new cases in Japan rapidly increased, at that time, it was the highest in the past. Some governors such as Osaka were against this campaign, because they were afraid of the increase of more new cases in their regions. Even the governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, suggested that the timing should be reconsidered.
Considering the high infected rate in Tokyo, the government announced that Go To Travel Campaign will start except for residents in Tokyo and the tour packages to Tokyo will not be included in the campaign.
Wait a minute. It does not make sense at all. Here is the thing. Many people working in an office in Tokyo live in a suburb such as Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa prefectures. They commute to Tokyo by a packed train every day.
The government announced that over 4 million people used Go To Travel Campaign between July 27th, just after the campaign launched, and August 13th. Meanwhile, in August, the new cases in Japan surpassed 1,000 in a day.
Go To Travel Campaign excluded Tokyo, however, the government decided to include Tokyo from this October. It is true that the number of infected people has been decreasing. Nevertheless, the more people from different regions interact with each other, the more people might get infected. In terms of the economy, this campaign could work well, however, Japan has a lot of the elderly. They have a much higher risk to die because of the coronavirus than younger generations. The Japanese government under the pandemic seems to prioritize the economy rather than to protect the citizens. The government should listen to people’s voices and provide what they really need.
