After months of restricting movement due to the pandemic, you’d think that countless residents of Japan would be itching to get away for a small vacation. Yet, even as the government offers incentives for domestic travel and companies slash prices across the board, many have expressed reservations — if not outright hostility — online about tourism of any sort.
The focus of attention has fallen on the government’s Go To Travel campaign. Slated to start on July 22, the campaign hopes to encourage travel within Japan by offering a range of discounts and coupons to choose from. Although some of the deals look mouthwatering, the reaction on social media hasn’t been great, with plenty of pushback coming from residents of regions that are located far from major metropolitan areas who are worried about the increased possibility of inbound infections.
Huffington Post Japan summed up the reaction in an article posted on July 14. Part of the criticism of the initiative — which was first introduced as infection rates across the country were falling — came from government officials in smaller cities, who expressed concern about the campaign as new cases in Tokyo surged.