June 1- Last month, the Italian island of Sicily announced that it will pay a portion of travelers’ post-coronavirus trip costs by covering half of airline tickets plus one out of every three hotel nights. Now Japan is also looking for similarly creative ways to fill its empty ryokans, bullet trains and sushi restaurants.

 

According to reports, the head of the Japan Tourism Agency announced this week that the government has created a plan to boost tourism by offering to subsidize a portion of travelers’ expenses. While details of the program are evolving, some sources say that the program will apply to domestic travelers; other sources say the program could follow Italy’s lead by extending the subsidy to international visitors when travel restrictions are lifted.

 

This new program will reportedly cost Japan a cool $12.5 billion. And while there aren’t any details about how it will work, whether there will be expense limits or when it might extend to international travelers, the initiative could start as soon as July 2020, depending on when travel restrictions ease up.

 

While Japan was initially bracing for a hard hit from the pandemic, the country has been considered a coronavirus success story and has fared much better than other nations. The country of 126 million people has had only 16,433 infections and 784 deaths. Experts attribute the country’s low numbers to early proactive measures, universal healthcare, low obesity rates, expertise in treating pneumonia and a culture that is already known for its excellent hygiene habits and social-distancing skills.

 

This isn’t the first time that Japan has tried to attract more tourists. During non-coronavirus times last December, Japan Airlines and Nomura Research Institute (an economic think tank) announced a promotion that would involve giving away 100,000 seats on domestic flights in an effort to get international visitors to explore the country beyond Tokyo and Kyoto.

 

And Japan needs the business, given that tourism is a major economic driver for the country. According to reports, Japan has been hard hit by the lack of international arrivals, which dropped a staggering 99.99% year over year since April 2019 with only 2,900 tourists visiting the country in April. The previous low for monthly foreign visitors was 17,543 in February 1964. Last year, the country recorded the highest tourism numbers on record with more than 32.5 million international visitors.

 

 

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