SENDAI -- The leaders of seven prefectures in northern Japan will issue a statement encouraging their citizens to travel within the area, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The Tohoku Niigata joint message will be issued by the governors of the six prefectures in the Tohoku region and the governor of Niigata Prefecture, along with the mayors of Sendai and Niigata. In April, they requested that their citizens refrain from traveling across prefectural borders in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The number of people infected with the virus has remained relatively low in the seven prefectures since then, leading the governors and mayors to decide that traveling within the region poses little risk.
The joint message will be announced on Monday at the earliest. While promoting traveling, the message will also request that travelers take full preventive measures against the virus as well as take advantage of the government's Go To Travel tourism campaign. Furthermore, the tourism business operators will be asked to provide an environment in which travelers can feel safe, knowing that proper preventive measures are in place.
The number of tourists in the country has sharply decreased nationwide due to the pandemic, and the seven prefectures have been no exception. In Miyagi Prefecture, the number of tourists dropped to 1.47 million in April, down by 75.2% compared to the same month last year. Although the number has been showing a sign of recovery, with 2.74 million in June, it still marks a decrease of 44.3% from the same month last year.
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