TOKYO: Japanese transport minister Kazuyoshi Akaba said July 10 that the “Go To Travel” tourism promotion program will begin on July 22, earlier than early August, which was the expected date.

The program is designed to cover 50 percent of the travel costs through discounts and coupons for use at stores and restaurants at travel destinations.

The discounts will begin on July 22, while the coupon scheme will not be rolled out until September if not later as it takes time to develop measures to prevent fraudulent use.

The program is part of the government’s Go To Campaign project to support travel, restaurant and some other industries hit hard by the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Trips whose reservations have already been made will also benefit from Go To Travel, without the need to cancel and rebook the trips.

A group of tourism-related organizations and companies were selected to undertake back-office work for the program after a controversy over massive outsourcing fees prompted the government to change its contractor selection process for the overall Go To Campaign project.

JIJI Press