The pay-in-advance system has been prevailing in such businesses as accommodations and movie theaters and has been able to financially sustain them amid the coronavirus crisis. Under the system, operators of such facilities are able to use fees paid in advance as funds to keep their business afloat while the guests have the opportunity to use the facilities when their operations are resumed. Tsuneyoshi Kamada, 50, of Tokyo, who used the advance payment system, said: "I liked traveling but became unable to do so due to the spread of coronavirus. I think the system helps to support the lodging facilities and I feel satisfied when thinking about my trip in the future."
He used the "Atoyado" service operated by travel-related IT company Sagojo Inc. and other entities. Under the Atoyado system, users first pay lodging fees and donations to accommodation facilities. The operators of these facilities then immediately receive about half of the money paid so it can be used as operating and other expenses for the time being. Guests, for their part, are allowed to use the facilities at their own convenience. The operators will receive the remaining amount of money when their facilities are used.
An official in charge of the Atoyado service at Takezono Ryokan in the city of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, said, "We were encouraged to recognize that there are people who are supporting us."
Sagojo president Takuya Shin said, "Our service can be used not only by the people who have anxiety about coronavirus but also by those who cannot secure time for traveling immediately."
Currently about 10 lodging facilities are registered with the Atoyado service system. However, Sagojo is scheduled to increase the number of registered accommodations in a collaborative effort with municipal governments and other organizations.
In the case of Ojikajima of Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture, lodging at traditional Japanese-style houses, which is a tourist attraction on the island, and other services are suspended temporarily. The town sells advance payment tickets called "Kondo Ojika ni Iku Ken" to help support lodging and other facilities. The money earned through ticket sales are all paid to operators of such facilities on the island. Tickets are valid for six months after their issuance. An official in charge said: "We have received many responses saying that 'I'll visit [the island] if the situation calms down.' It is ideal if the advance payment system can support us in the form of a future promise."
Moves to support restaurants have been prevailing, too.
People are able to buy meal tickets that are usable up to six months ahead by using a smartphone app called "Gochimeshi" by IT firm Gigi Inc. based in Fukuoka City. Shop operators are not charged a registration fee as registration commissions are being shouldered for a limited period by Suntory Holdings Ltd., a major beer and whiskey maker. The money paid by users are all transferred to the shops. There are about 9,000 registered shops.
Furthermore, cases have increased in which local governments and other organizations sell meal tickets attached with special gifts. It is also essential to confirm the content of service carefully.
Tomoki Inoue, analyst of NLI Research Institute, said: "Shop operators can feel customers' desire for continued operation and this amounts to assistance that not only involves money. It is advisable for the shops to confirm before they use the ticket system such things as the guarantee system in times of bankruptcy and whether paid money is transferred to them."
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