The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Opinions divided over domestic tourism campaign
The government plans to exclude travel to and from Tokyo in its domestic tourism campaign that is scheduled to start on July 22. The “Go To” campaign is aimed at supporting the domestic tourism industry which has been dealt a massive blow due to the spread of the coronavirus. Under the campaign program, part of travel expenses, such as hotel charges, will be subsidized.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised that such a campaign might result in the spread of the virus in local areas.
Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Kazuyoshi Akaba told reporters on July 16 that the government intends to start the campaign on July 22 as scheduled, but will exclude “travelers bound for Tokyo and Tokyo residents traveling outside of Tokyo.”
With the number of new coronavirus cases increasing again, particularly in Tokyo, the campaign is being met with mixed responses.
Some local governments are concerned that tourists visiting from urban areas might spread the virus in their parts of the nation.
Many tourists travel to Furano at this time of year to visit the lavender fields, but this year visitor numbers are sparse. Weekend day-trippers are returning to their usual level, but the number of overnight guests, mostly consisting of tourists from outside Hokkaido and visitors from overseas, remains at just 20% to 30% of the norm.
“If things continue as they are, the future will be bleak,” an official of the Furano Tourism Association said. “We hope the campaign will serve as a catalyst for tourists to return.”
The Omicho Ichiba market in Kanazawa is also a popular tourist destination, but sales at some shops remain at around 30% the level before the pandemic.
A shop official said he has mixed feelings about the campaign: “We have high hopes but there are also fears that infections may spread again when people come from the Tokyo metropolitan area. Both staff and guests must wear masks and take precautions.”
The director of a cooperative of ryokan inns in the Dogo Onsen hot spring area in Matsuyama said: “There are concerns about the campaign, but hopes are high. If [the campaign is] canceled, it will be hell for the industry.”
Okayama Gov. Ryuta Ibaragi has welcomed the campaign, saying, “The entire country is doing this with the aim of revitalizing the economy mainly through tourism, and I want to make it a success.”
While Yamagata Gov. Mieko
Yoshimura is concerned about the spread of the virus in the Tokyo metropolitan area. “We’re not entirely happy [with the campaign],” Yoshimura said. “Considering the situation of the infections and the heavy rain disaster, is it a good time to start the campaign all over the country at the same time?”
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said on July 14, “If you step on the brake and the accelerator at the same time, you might not get the desired effect.”
The National Governors’ Association is calling on the central government to gradually expand the scope of the campaign, starting with attracting visitors from neighboring areas, instead of implementing a uniform campaign across the country.
The campaign was initially planned to start in “early August,” but the date was moved up to July 22 at the initiative of the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry.
“This is to meet the demand for summer vacations during the four consecutive holidays [in July],” a ministry official said. “There were many requests from tourism-related businesses and customers around the country to ‘just start it.’”
Tokyo has seen a consecutive string of days in which more than 200 people were confirmed to have been infected with the virus each day, spreading concern that the travel promotion campaign would spread the coronavirus in regional areas.
Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui said on July 14 that he is considering introducing a free antibody test program for city residents who plan to travel. “We want them to make sure they’re not infected before they travel,” Matsui said.
“If travelers can say they’re negative, then [people in the tourism industry] can serve their guests without worry.” Osaka hopes to launch the program after consulting with experts to confirm the effectiveness of the test.
“The key to promoting tourism and preventing infections at the same time is how far the risks associated with the movement [of travelers] can be contained,” said Prof. Makoto Yoshida of Kansai University of International Studies, an expert on regional tourism.
“If there are measures such as allowing both travelers and people hosting the travelers to take PCR [polymerase chain reaction] tests at their request, they can feel at ease and increase the effectiveness of the campaign,” Yoshida said.
A total of 41 people in at least 20 prefectures were found to be infected with the novel coronavirus from July 1 to 14 when tested in their hometowns after returning from either business or private trips to Tokyo, according to a nationwide Yomiuri Shimbun survey.
The survey was conducted on 43 prefectures, excluding Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures. The people identified in the survey represented 4.5% of all those infected in the 43 prefectures during the same period.