Japan May Pay for Half of Your Next Trip After Travel Bans Are Lifted

Are you ready to see the Land of the Rising Sun?
by Meryl Medel | May 27, 2020

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the whole world has currently halted most, if not all, non-essential travel. But the Japanese government is already planning to lure tourists back by offering to pay for half of their travel expenses when visiting the country.

Declining tourism

This proposal comes after Japan facing a 99.9% drop of inbound foreign travelers, which is quite the dip from the rapid growth of tourism they saw these past few years. According to The Japan Times, only about 2,900 foreign tourists visited the country last April, and even the 2020 Summer Olympics that was supposed to boost the country’s tourism this July has been postponed until at least 2021. And it seems the Japanese government is eager to bring back the potential revenues that would’ve offset the investments they made as the host country of the Olympics.

Plans?

The government plans to allocate as much as 12.5 billion USD for this reimbursement program. But there are many questions about the specifics of the program. How would the program work? How would tourists be eligible? What kind of expenses would be covered? How would the reimbursement be distributed? Eager tourists would have to wait for the official announcement of the Japanese government.

At the moment, much like the rest of the world, Japan has implemented an international travel ban, preventing foreign travelers to enter the country. But if coronavirus infection rates continue declining, this program might launch as early as July of this year.

 

Would you travel to Japan as soon as the lockdowns are lifted, or wait a bit? Tell us what you think below.