Tourist arrivals to Japan plunged by a massive 99.9% in April, but the country has a cunning plan to boost tourism in the coming weeks.
Less than 3,000 foreign travellers visited Japan in April while much of the country has been on lockdown.
Now the government is considering paying people to travel with subsidised trips.
Hiroshi Tabata, chief of the Japan Tourism Agency unveiled initial plans of a $12.5 billion programme which could pay for half the cost of Japan holidays.
It may start in July after all stay at home and travel restrictions are lifted, but the JTA remains tight-lipped on the details.
It hasn’t outlined how the scheme will work including who is eligible to snag a cut-price trip.
The JTA will cover up to half of visitors’ travel expenses although it is unclear if that includes the cost of international flights.
Japan is currently blocking entry to citizens of about 100 nations and this year’s Tokyo Olympics have been pushed back to 2021.
Japan inbound arrivals are already down by more than 60% year to date.
