Tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba said Friday that Tokyo will be added to the Go To Travel tourism promotion campaign from Oct. 1, after it was excluded from the program at launch due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
A decision will be formally announced early next week, following a subcommittee meeting on the coronavirus situation that was to be held on Friday.
Trips to and from Tokyo will be discounted under the program, more than two months after the nationwide campaign to subsidize travel costs started on July 22.
"New cases of infection [in Tokyo] have been on a downward trend. This is a program that should have been implemented throughout the nation," Akaba said at a press conference after a Cabinet meeting on Friday.
However, Akaba rejected the Tokyo metropolitan government's request for additional discounts for residents and businesses in Tokyo. "The program is being implemented uniformly nationwide. [Additional discounts] would be difficult for business operators to handle," he said.
From Oct. 1, trips to and from Tokyo will be subsidized, with tourists eligible for discounts of up to 35% off travel costs, capped at 14,000 yen. Savings of up to 50% of total travel costs are available if travelers use the program's discounts and coupons, which can be redeemed at stores and restaurants at travel destinations.
The government decided to exclude Tokyo from the subsidy program shortly before the campaign started, after receiving criticism regarding the coronavirus situation in the capital.
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