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The Japanese government is working on legislation that would pay 50% of travel costs for visitors when the lockdown is lifted. They have felt a 99.9% decline in tourism and they will want travelers to come back in hordes.

If this comes to fruition, they can sign me up (in indelible ink) for a first class ticket and two month's accommodation at 6 star hotels in the centers of Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka!

https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/ja ... s-22088916

Contrarian Expatriate wrote: ↑

May 26th, 2020, 3:35 pm

They have felt a 99.9% decline in tourism and with the Olympics coming in July, they want them to come back in hordes.

If this comes to fruition, they can sign me up (in indelible ink) for a first class ticket and two month's accommodation at 6 star hotels in the centers of Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka!

https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/ja ... s-22088916

Olympic not coming in July dumbwit....see what Abe final for 2021 and contrarian feeble mushmind better stay florida play game with senior at assist home where belong

Contrarian Expatriate wrote: ↑

May 26th, 2020, 3:35 pm

The Japanese government is working on legislation that would pay 50% of travel costs for visitors when the lockdown is lifted. They have felt a 99.9% decline in tourism and they will want travelers to come back in hordes.

If this comes to fruition, they can sign me up (in indelible ink) for a first class ticket and two month's accommodation at 6 star hotels in the centers of Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka!

https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/ja ... s-22088916

Love Fukuoka - might wait until next year though.

Contrarian Expatriate wrote: ↑

May 26th, 2020, 3:35 pm

The Japanese government is working on legislation that would pay 50% of travel costs for visitors when the lockdown is lifted. They have felt a 99.9% decline in tourism and they will want travelers to come back in hordes.

If this comes to fruition, they can sign me up (in indelible ink) for a first class ticket and two month's accommodation at 6 star hotels in the centers of Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka!

https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/ja ... s-22088916

I think I would go too because that would be great if it was well implemented.

I didn't know that 6 star hotels really existed. I thought that 5 stars was the maximum stars a hotel could have.

Contrarian Expatriate wrote: ↑

May 26th, 2020, 3:35 pm

The Japanese government is working on legislation that would pay 50% of travel costs for visitors when the lockdown is lifted. They have felt a 99.9% decline in tourism and they will want travelers to come back in hordes.

If this comes to fruition, they can sign me up (in indelible ink) for a first class ticket and two month's accommodation at 6 star hotels in the centers of Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka!

https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/ja ... s-22088916

I doubt if this is really the intention of the Japanese government.

Similar article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... demic.html

This is a newspaper article, but I cannot confirm anything.... also the article itself is sceptical...

But it hasn't been confirmed whether the scheme would be limited to domestic travellers, or rolled out internationally.

However there were some similar promotion activities in the past sponsored by the Japanese government, like 70 percent reduced transport from airport to city (Narita Airport) for any foreign passport holder,
pay 2 nights in various hotels, and stay 1 night for free, or pay 3 nights and 2 nights for free....etc. - free entrance or much cheaper entrance fees to sightseeing spots.

But be aware you will always have to pay something, nothing is free in Japan....

About domestic tourism, needs are different from international visitors - I can imagine that because plenty of trips are by bus for elderly people to some temples, hot-spring-hotels etc. which are remotely located, that the government will pay a large part of the fuel costs and salaries for drivers to the bus-companies or to Japanese style hotels on small islands or in the forests and ask them to open again and to make such trips much cheaper during a promotion time ... something like that?

Honestly, I do not expect much out of such programs, they are supposed to help Japanese business owners and not really directly visitors, regardless if they are local or international.

Or maybe it will support some Asian group tours paying the fuel for the airplanes, likely Japanese airplanes....I don't know yet.

Yohan wrote: ↑

May 26th, 2020, 10:15 pm

I doubt if this is really the intention of the Japanese government.

Similar article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... demic.html

This is a newspaper article, but I cannot confirm anything.... also the article itself is sceptical...

But it hasn't been confirmed whether the scheme would be limited to domestic travellers, or rolled out internationally.

However there were some similar promotion activities in the past sponsored by the Japanese government, like 70 percent reduced transport from airport to city (Narita Airport) for any foreign passport holder,
pay 2 nights in various hotels, and stay 1 night for free, or pay 3 nights and 2 nights for free....etc. - free entrance or much cheaper entrance fees to sightseeing spots.

But be aware you will always have to pay something, nothing is free in Japan....

About domestic tourism, needs are different from international visitors - I can imagine that because plenty of trips are by bus for elderly people to some temples, hot-spring-hotels etc. which are remotely located, that the government will pay a large part of the fuel costs and salaries for drivers to the bus-companies or to Japanese style hotels on small islands or in the forests and ask them to open again and to make such trips much cheaper during a promotion time ... something like that?

Honestly, I do not expect much out of such programs, they are supposed to help Japanese business owners and not really directly visitors, regardless if they are local or international.

Or maybe it will support some Asian group tours paying the fuel for the airplanes, likely Japanese airplanes....I don't know yet.

I think Japan is very well worth visiting...at any price.

hypermak wrote: ↑

May 26th, 2020, 11:39 pm

I think Japan is very well worth visiting...at any price.

Not really at any price I would say.

It depends from where you are coming (airfare is not always cheap), how much time you have (long vacation is a problem in the States), and of course also how much you want to spend per day.

I also recommend first time visitors not only to visit Japan, but also the neighbors, South Korea and Taiwan and maybe one other more country if you come from far away like from USA Eastern part, South America or from Europe to see not only Japan but to be able to compare between at least 3 Asian countries.

About discounts in future, such programs are unclear - there is a strong difference between needs of local tourists or international tourists. Unclear which Japanese and international companies will co-operate, it depends on the private companies if they participate or not...

There is some talk going on to offer international tourists coupons of yen 5000,- per night valid for hotels if you book a room which rate is yen 10.000,- or more.

There will be Japan Railway discounts for foreign passport holders for transportation between cities and airport up to 80 percent in the upper class trains, but not for using the slow ordinary train...
There will be discounted entrance fees for sightseeing tours - sightseeing spots, ferries to islands, temples and museums etc. if you show your foreign passport....(maybe same rate they charge for children and seniors, but surely not free entrance)

Some upper class restaurants will also co-operate and charge only the lunch rate for dinner in evening....

So yes, Japan could be cheaper for the foreign middle/upper class tourist, especially group tourists (the majority are Asians from nearby countries) but surely not for a backpacker who stays in hostels and buy his food in a convenience store.