Hotel and shop operators at popular tourist sites have complained of confusion surrounding the government's Go To Travel campaign, which has seen a slew of changes since its formal announcement on July 10, as well as concern about the spread of novel coronavirus infections.
The travel campaign was initially slated to begin in August, then was brought forward to start Wednesday ahead of the four-day long weekend.
But last week, the government suddenly excluded travel to and from Tokyo from the program amid a surge in infections, before making another about face on Tuesday when it decided to shoulder related cancellation fees after initially refusing to do so.