Without the prospect of a recovery in the number of visitors to Japan for the time being, the tourism industry is trying to find a way forward through domestic travelers. On Friday, requests for people to not cross prefectural borders ended and the industry is set to restart operations in a careful manner, for example, by exercising the utmost attention to the prevention of infections with the novel coronavirus and limiting tourist numbers.
Meanwhile, the number of foreign visitors to Japan continued to be stagnant in May, at 1,700, below the 10,000 mark for the second consecutive month, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Japan National Tourism Organization.
A Hato Bus Co. tour guide took the temperature of families and other passengers, then called on them to disinfect their hands at a stop in front of Tokyo Station on Wednesday morning.
The bus company resumed the operation of tours visiting Tokyo Tower and other tourist spots for the first time in about two months on June 13. Among its infection prevention measures are using well-ventilated, open-top buses and reducing the number of passengers to half the normal capacity.
"We are trying to reduce the risk of infection by operating only a short sightseeing course where passengers do not get off the bus," an official of the company said.
Travel company JTB Corp. resumed operations at its branch offices on June. 1. The company said it will not be taking any bookings for overseas travel through the end of July, proposing trips to nearby areas instead.
Universal Studios Japan in Osaka is resuming operations Friday, but visitors to the theme park are limited to people living in Osaka and five nearby prefectures and people across the nation who have annual passes.
Prince Hotels Inc. is starting Chikaba Tabi plans to offer day trips for business travelers seeking a telecommuting environment and packages for nearby residents.
"We'd like to stimulate travel demand in local communities first," a public relations official said.
Of the travel agencies who said their amount of travel transactions and bookings "will decrease more than 80%" in May compared with the same month last year, according to a survey conducted that month by the All Nippon Travel Agents Association, up to 94% of them actually encountered that situation. Of these agencies, 79% said they expect this situation to continue in July, showing however slightly some hopeful signs of recovery.
Asked how many months they will be able to manage their funds if the current situation continues, however, nearly 80% of those surveyed replied, "Less than half a year," showing the possibility of bankruptcies if demand decrease for an extended time.
The central government plans to support the tourism industry with a "Go To Campaign" of measures to stimulate domestic demand. Under the scheme, discount coupons are offered to customers who purchase travel products from authorized agents.
But the government had to revise the campaign's contractor bidding system in response to criticism of the high costs for the work being commissioned in relation to the project and selection procedures. As a result, the start of the selection of contractors is likely to be delayed until sometime after early August, despite initial plans for a July start.
"Despite the peak travel season, an increasing number of people with plans to use the scheme are being made to refrain from making bookings," an industry source said.
"Since many companies in the tourism industry are financially weak small and midsize firms, it is necessary to stimulate demand as soon as possible," said Akiko Kosaka, senior researcher at the Japan Research Institute. "Tourism companies are advised to let people know that they offer safe and secure trips to wipe away consumers' negative perceptions of tourism."
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