A Go To Travel sign is seen outside a shop in Tokyo last November. Photo: REUTERS file
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Go To Travel campaign may partially resume after state of emergency lifted

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I guess the gov't learned nothing lastime..they even acknowledged previously that covid was speead due to Go To Travel! Oh well, we will soon redeem our "Go To Grave" voucher.

26 ( +34 / -8 )

Isn't it better to start this after the majority of people have been vaccinated, but as this wont happen until much later in the year the big companies like Dentsu and JTB must be pressuring the government to restart GOTO travel early. Not smart at all.

33 ( +36 / -3 )

Akaba said the government needs to carefully analyze the infection situation of each region before restarting the campaign, which was halted across the country on Dec 28.

Come on Akaba; the primary concern for the restart of GoTo subsidies is not the infection situation but the situation of the bank accounts of JTB, big hotel chains or other companies with close ties to Japan Inc./Gov.

28 ( +31 / -3 )

Just when you thought Japan couldn’t be anymore absurd. The government does this.

34 ( +36 / -2 )

Go To Travel campaign may partially resume after state of emergency lifted

How many percentage of population outside medical staffs already being vaccinated by now?

19 ( +21 / -2 )

How many percentages of population outside medical staffs already being vaccinated by now?

The media is showing chosen hospitals where staff are being vaccinated but it is certainly not the case all over Japan.

The vaccine rollout for medical staff is a priority but it isn’t happening here in Kansai...

19 ( +19 / -0 )

Seriously?? Seriously?? Is the LDP clinically insane??

26 ( +30 / -4 )

I wonder when will the government learn from its mistakes. I hope they're not waiting for another surge of cases before they suspend the program again.

15 ( +17 / -2 )

I suppose it’s better to get the next wave started sooner rather than later.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

Here we go again, as if they didn't learn anything the first go around. I'd expect another surge in number around May, especially if go to travel is going on during golden week.

15 ( +17 / -2 )

Thanks! We get it!* *It’s already been decided! Like everything else, you’re just ‘softening the blow’. So, since it’s gonna happen anyway, “Why not just make the discounts/incentives only available ‘within your home prefecture’?” (Sorry, second home addresses of ‘the rich’ don’t qualify)

12 ( +13 / -1 )

I dont see a problem in the Go to travel.

Everyday I travel almost 2 hours in full packed trains until I am in my office. And then I am stucked 10 hours or more in a full packed office, and go another almost 2 hours back in full packed trains to my home.

Switch trains in Shibuya...one of the most crowded places in Tokyo.

So what is the bigger risk or problem?

What I have to do every day or a 2 hours travel in a less crowded, air filtrated Shinkansen or even can use a car where I am alone or just with my family, stay in a less crowded hotel where I have less contact to other people than in my office, and visit tourist places which are also less crowded than my office?

I feel more safe on a short travel than what I have to do every day in Tokyo.

And when you go to travel you can choose the trains (time where is it less crowded), in tourist places you can choose social distance...

In my daily procedure, I can not choose anything!

I have to use the full packed trains at the same time, I have to go to my office, sit close to my coworkers...and so on.

So what is more dangerous to get infected and to spread the virus?

The important thing is, that the people should continue their best personal preventions during traveling. ( wearing masks, keep social distance, wash hands, use sanitizers).

-12 ( +12 / -24 )

Great!

Hopefully just in time for kids spring vacation

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

wearing masks, keep social distance, wash hands, use sanitizers

As if everyone does not forget or follow religiously.

Which part of “the government even acknowledged previously that covid was speead due to Go To Travel” you don’t understand?

7 ( +10 / -3 )

I leave virus discussions to other posters.... My concern is possible hazard GoTo may cause badly to the economy in the long run. If target industries continue to depend on the special subsidy, self-recovery would be harder to attain. GoTo may also distort market pricing (at expense of tax money!).

GoTo is aimed primarily for major travel agencies and affiliates. Independent retailers, hotels and tourist businesses benefit a little. A typical pork barrel politics.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

I have some plans for a weekend in April. Hope I can get a Go To discount for the hotel. My plan is not based on that anyway

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Is there another word for idiots? So much for lessons learned, but then again the upper echelon wouldn't even follow their own direction and instead went out fine dining and drinking. Might as well forget about following anything they say from the top and just reopen anyway.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

The "Spread To" campaign resumes again.

After highlighting the campaign as a source of virus spread last time . . . . why would this time be any different?

9 ( +12 / -3 )

I've got my two inoculations and am hoping to be back in Japan a month while the GO TO TROUBLE campaign is still on. Looking for the discount travel.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

We used it four times out of eight trips. Just set up another one for later March. I hope it goes through and they recalculate the costs.

The coupons by the way are excellent for small businesses. Someone up above posted that only big hotels and JTB benefit. Not true.

Trains such as Shinkansen and hotels are not crowded at all. The hotels really do a fabulous job at keeping things safe, and the food is still fabulous even without buffet service.

We only felt uncomfortable at a small okinomiyaki place in Hiroshima. Brilliant food but got too crowded.

-9 ( +5 / -14 )

OMG seriously??? what they want a massive explosion in cases????? what are they thinking????

8 ( +14 / -6 )

Completely absurd decision. This is more like Go To Trouble instead of Travel...

Stop risking the life of people...

5 ( +8 / -3 )

The go to travel program is essentially the state subsidizing those wealthy enough to be able to afford the luxury of travel.

Those who do not take advantage of the program, be it because of lack of funds or because they see the program as ill-advised, are paying for the junkets of those who use the program.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

I feel more safe on a short travel than what I have to do every day in Tokyo. 

And when you go to travel you can choose the trains (time where is it less crowded), in tourist places you can choose social distance.

@monty

How do people social distance in overcrowded tourist areas? I live in Kamakura and I can tell you now that it has still been crowded during the so called SOE. Komachi dori for example is a famous/ popular street with a lot of food vendors on it. Crowds of people eating outside each and every vendor, masks down, taking selfies and chatting, all next to each other. Tourists come down here and think being merely out of their home cities such as Tokyo is social distancing.

Local people do not want clusters of tourists coming down here in a pandemic. You forget that people have to live here.

10 ( +14 / -4 )

@Monty

Couldn’t agree with you more as I am in the same situation, as 90% of the population in Japan, with no option for remote workIng.

However the fact (big mistake!) that the japanese companies did not implement remote working, doesn’t make the Go To Campaign an acceptable option at this stage when no one is vaccinated.

Not properly pushing for remote working was absolutely disgraceful from the japanese government.

Restarting the Go To Campaign would only add another huge mistake to the long list of “how to deal with a pandemic and protect the health of the population”.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

please UPDATE us when 3rd EMERGENCY is declared by this STUPID OLD government , who has NO BRAINS.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

This is crazy. Most places will have cancelled or drastically scaled down all events in the first half of the year, all the matsuris and community events that act as social glue. Despite local people refraining from gatherings, the government is going to pay for outsiders to gather in these places, seemingly from the first second the State of Emergency ends. As with the last time, the pandemic is not even over.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

'The last time we did this, it was followed by the largest and deadliest wave of a virus most people aren't immune to yet.'

'Great, let's do it again.'

'How about we get people vaccinated first?'

'Lol.'

Sorry, but it's just impossible take anything about this seriously at this point.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Right. People will think it's over, we like campaigns and go to travel. Short time later, the spike will increase again and everyone will be so surprised how come that we are doing another wave again.. Ouroboros in reality

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Alter the GoTo Campaign for travel only within prefectures. That way they support local hospitality businesses while somewhat limiting distant travel and spread.

Otherwise, this is stupidity happening all over again.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

What was it Einstein said about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?

11 ( +13 / -2 )

madness

3 ( +5 / -2 )

@Comment: I am going to have to disagree on your observations, but not being offensive. I walked to your location from Enoshima last weekend. No bad issues observed.

@Bruce: You want the populace that can afford to travel to go travel and spend. If you tell them they cannot travel, which you cannot do in Japan anyway, they (We) will still travel anyway. As noted above only four of our last eight trips during this pandemic gave us discounts and coupons. We appreciated it and then spent even more than the equivalent of what they gave us.

Some might be angry we are traveling but we are not rich but supportive. Love the country, people and hospitality.

Hopefully all people can get that some day. And @Monty, I feel for you. I used to be somewhat in that situation but fortunately and luckily have moved on. Keep the faith. You will too.

-13 ( +1 / -14 )

I think it’s stupid, and would prefer the Government to take a different course.

Was the study that showed the link between ‘Go To’ and an increase in spread conducted by the Government? Would they not be liable if they ignore their own research?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Absolutely no lessons were learnt from 2020.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

The obvious idiocy of Go To Travel reminds of a quotation from Alexander Pope: "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." That ought to be the subtitle to this fiasco.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

GoToトラベル = Go To Trouble!

9 ( +10 / -1 )

There are no words. The stupid is so strong it burns.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Shout out to NOT LEARNING from the first time.

Go To "Stupidity"

5 ( +6 / -1 )

They should just start new campaigns already. I'll give them a head start on ideas. They can choose as many as they like.

Go to:

Learning, Slaps, Swift Kicks to Faces, Working on a domestic vaccine supply, educating the government, educating the public about vaccines, old men repeating old material, not wasting tax payers money, kyabakura if you're in the Diet, reality, actually locking down cities and not doing a half-baked job, Ric Flair Chops, the combini, anywhere but the Olympics................

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Restarting " Go to" will increase the infection rate as it did the first time. However, it wasn't a major factor in the spread. The government has to balance the economy with public health. A limited "Go to" isn't such a bad idea to get money to badly affected tourism and hotel sectors.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Sign me up. Can't wait to travel again.

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

Finally! If someone doesn't like it, don't travel, as simple as that.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Finally! If someone doesn't like it, don't travel, as simple as that.

No, it isn't as simple as that.

People travelling all over the country picking up viruses to bring back home and spread around (not to mention the viruses they may be taking from home to those tourist spots, if they live in an area not yet even out of the state of emergency) up the ante for all those who decide that not travelling is the sensible thing to do.

If you want to travel, fine, pay for it out of your own pocket, quarantine for two weeks before you go (to protect the people in the place you're travelling to), and another two weeks when you get back (to protect your neighbours).

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Madness, rinse and repeat. Looks like the government hasn’t had enough or learned anything

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Would be great if one could opt out of ones taxes being used to fund this, or opting out of being a taxpayer liable for the debt incurred by this.

Can’t we have a system like that instead?

Why is it fair that those of us who disagree with this policy are liable to fund it anyway?

Is that fair?

Is there too much government in our lives?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

And the last order in ryokans is also at 7 and everything closed at 8? lol Wish a nice trip.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

If you want to travel, fine, pay for it out of your own pocket,

Total agreement with this common sense statement from cleo-san.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

What did I tell you? First thing they'd start talking about when the SOE was lifted is restarting the GoTo Campaign that helped it spike last time. They never learn here.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I hope if they succeed in their folly of restarting this moronic endeavor before the pandemic is over, that it results in the end of the Olympics here. Because, that is what is likely to happen.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

What is next? "Go to hospital"?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

What was it Einstein said about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?

He said "If at first you don't succeed, fail, fail, and fail again!"

2 ( +2 / -0 )

StopGoToTrouble StopGoToTravel
3 ( +4 / -1 )

let's promote herd immunity!! oh, wait....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

how about GoToVaccinate first?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

I spend the same amount over when I use GoToTravel. So all jealous people, sorry, but at least I am supporting businesses and not crying and complaining.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

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