Gaps In Japanese Tourism Campaign Policies That Reap Criticism

JAKARTA - Japan has started to promote a tourism campaign aimed at reviving an industry that has been weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic. But these efforts have drawn a lot of criticism amid a spike in cases of people infected with the new coronavirus.

Launching Reuters, Wednesday, July 22, the Japanese government introduced the Go To Travel program. A travel program that offers a subsidy of up to 50 percent for travel to various regions in Japan, except Tokyo.

But the program was scrapped last week after COVID-19 cases surged to their highest level. The local media even skipped the program with "Go To Trouble."

This criticism shows the magnitude of public anxiety, because of contradictory government policies. The reason is, the government is trying to improve the economy while curbing the spread of the virus.

"There is no change in our attitude to cautiously restarting economic activity, while asking people to work together in preventing the spread of the coronavirus," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Many in the tourism industry are frustrated by policies that are deemed unclear. "Obviously the government is fighting over and completely unprepared. It's also very difficult to get information about this scheme because things have changed, "said a hotel manager in Osaka, who declined to be identified.

Likewise, Hotel Nikko Osaka Manager Hiroaki Gofuku said he hoped this campaign would become a boost for the vulnerable tourism industry. But he was also careful not to be overly optimistic.

"Tokyo is our big market," he said. "With this mess, we're actually seeing a lot more policy cancellations."

It seems that tourism industry players will still face tough challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The reason is, Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura is also expected to announce a postponement of the reopening of the stadium and major events.

Whereas previously, the Japanese government planned to reduce restrictions on stadiums and counselors starting in August. This allows them to operate at half the maximum capacity.

Tokyo announced that daily cases are expected to reach more than 230. This is a warning to the country that COVID-19 is not completely under control.