EDITORIAL: Journey subsidy to spice up tourism should not derail anti-virus efforts : The Asahi Shimbun

The government will launch a new travel subsidy program to save the embattled tourism industry.

The two-month campaign in April and May provides a subsidy of up to 5,000 yen (US $ 45.50) per person per day to increase the benefits of prefecture discount programs. The program only covers hotel stays in the prefectures where the beneficiaries reside.

The government hopes to resume the nationwide advertising campaign for Go To Travel tourism as early as June. The new program, a local Go To Travel campaign so to speak, is a stopgap solution until then.

The editorials in The Asahi Shimbun have urged the government not to take political action to stimulate demand for travel, similar to the usual steps to stimulate the economy when it is in disrepair until the new coronavirus is completely under control is brought.

However, it is a sensible option to use political efforts to increase the demand for travel only in areas where infections do not spread quickly. Many prefectural governments offer their own programs to support the local hospitality industry.

However, the fact is that in some prefectures including Miyagi, Yamagata, Osaka and Ehime, new COVID-19 cases have increased since the government lifted its state of emergency for hot-spot areas.

The effects of new virus variants on the overall COVID-19 situation still need to be adequately analyzed.

It should be borne in mind that once the virus spreads rapidly, local health systems in rural areas, where there are not many large hospitals, can be easily strained.

To be eligible for the new tourism promotion program, a prefecture must have an infection situation no worse than in phase 2, which means that new cases are only increasing gradually and the second lowest in the four-tier COVID-19 alert system is.

Whether you apply for the program is up to the governor of each prefecture.

In deciding to apply, governors should carefully consider the local situation. You should also be ready to take it out immediately if you see signs that infection is spreading quickly.

We fear that this government subsidy program may unnecessarily whet people’s appetites for travel by making them feel like they’re missing out on important benefits if they don’t take advantage of them.

We are also concerned that the governors’ assessments and decisions regarding the program could be influenced by strong pressure from struggling local tourism companies.

The fact that the funding program will only cover trips in April and May, at least for now, could lead governors to make hasty decisions to apply.

The government should allocate any remaining funds for subsidies to be made available in June or later so that governors do not feel compelled to make quick decisions.

Another problem with the program is that the money is only available to subsidize discounts. It is also possible to support tourism-related businesses by distributing cash directly to them.

It would be better if the governors could decide how to use the funds to best support their respective local tourism industries.

If the vaccination program goes smoothly, it may become clearer when and how the economy will return to normal.

The top political priority right now should be to contain the spread of infections and attract enough health workers to vaccinate.

If political efforts to increase the demand for travel cause the public health crisis to last longer, the result would be an even bigger blow to the tourism industry.

Both central and local governments should remain aware of this risk.

– The Asahi Shimbun, March 30th