Japan’s Go To Travel Campaign: Boosting Domestic Tourism

The Japan Tourism Agency has proposed the Go To Travel campaign, which will partly fund domestic tourists’ travel expenses as a strategy to enhance tourism following the country’s state of emergency.

While many travel plans are still on hold worldwide, countries are beginning to announce plans for lifting restrictions initially imposed to combat the spread of COVID-19. Japan has revealed intentions to support domestic travel through its Go To Travel campaign. This campaign, which is currently under consideration, aims at stimulating tourism by highlighting the diverse offerings within Japan for its residents.

Initially, there were suggestions that the initiative might extend to international tourists as well. However, a series of tweets published by the tourism board clarified that the campaign will focus solely on the domestic market.

Japan’s management of the coronavirus outbreak has been considered effective relative to other destinations, with reported cases totaling 16,550 and approximately 820 deaths. The postponement of the Olympics significantly impacted the country’s revenue. Consequently, combined with falling tourist numbers, Japan is keen to implement incentives to invigorate the tourism sector as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.

Japan is not alone in exploring measures to promote local tourism. More recently, New Zealand has proposed initiatives such as a four-day working week and increased flexibility for annual leave to foster domestic travel.

Japan has recently lifted its state of emergency, easing restrictions in metropolitan Tokyo and the northern island of Hokkaido. This development is expected to further encourage local tourism.

This article was first published on 26 May and updated on 28 May, 2020.

As lockdowns ease globally, the travel industry is adapting to a new normal amid the ongoing COVID-19 situation.