Akaba: Govt. To Spend More On Tourism Campaign


Akaba: Govt. to spend more on tourism campaign

Japan's tourism minister has announced that the government will allocate additional funds to its tourism campaign, aimed at boosting the pandemic-hit economy.

The move comes after some travel websites became unable to give a promised level of discounts.

Under the "Go To Travel" campaign, a traveler can receive discounts worth 35 percent of their domestic travel costs, or up to about 130 dollars per overnight stay. The government allocates funds to tourism businesses based on their sales records or programs.

But some travel booking websites lowered the upper limit of their discounts as their funds ran out or shrank. Bookings have been rising after trips to and from Tokyo were added to the campaign this month.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, tourism minister Akaba Kazuyoshi apologized to the public for causing concern and inconvenience. He said he instructed the tourism agency to ensure that the 35 percent discounts will be available again, and indicated that additional funds will be injected into the program.

He added that people who booked trips at slashed discounts will be able to seek compensation.

Akaba said he has been told that every business concerned will resume offering the 35 percent discounts before noon on Wednesday.