Gov't opts not to resume Go To Travel program until at least June

great, looking forward to the masses traveling again, keep the economy moving.

They are probably waiting to launch Go To Olympics

It is never too late to finally begin listening to the experts

Don't resume Go To Travel until at least 70% of Japanese population is fully vaccinated.

It won’t happen till after the Olympics as they can’t risk another wave of the virus before then although with she current situation it might happen anyhow

"But tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba indicated Wednesday the government will keep suspending the subsidy program for a few more weeks given the recent upward trend in infections."

In a few more weeks, we do not know the condition of COVID. So nice that you are a fortune teller.

@annon

It is like the Gov't controls if we have a "wave" or not. lol

An audit is necessary.

How much was really spent for supporting the tourism industry in subsidies,

and how much was spent for all the commercials, printing ,

and all unnecessary events, meetings,

From the start, the Go To was heavily criticized

I very like GoTo Travel. Used about 12 hotels now. They’re probably the most cleanest places in Japan. Safest. And cheap and I can help local communities.

but I have only stayed in the rural/beach areas. I would never again stay in big cities. Our room in Nagoya was full of sanitizing chemicals.

Uh, the experts have already said that the go to campaign was one of the largest factors for the go to hospital spike that spread like wildfire. You still want to go down that path? Nishimura and Akaba are idiots.

According to the news yesterday, ANA will have 90% capacity for GW due to customer demand for GW bookings.

The government will earmark 300 billion yen ($2.8 billion) as reserves to support municipalities' own travel promotion initiatives until the Go To Travel campaign restarts, the person said.

In other words, the government will waste 300 billion yen ($2.8 billion) as reserves to support municipalities' own travel promotion initiatives until the Go To Travel campaign restarts and then waste some more money. Money that had been collected through taxes will be given back to municipalities. Of course, someone will stuff their pockets along the way, new documents, brochures and other unnecessary things will be printed out and will end later in the rubbish.

Does it make any sense? If people want to travel, they will visit the place anyway. If they don't want to travel and/or are worried about getting infected, they will not go there anyway. What is the point? Another way of helicopter money.

dbsaiya.... Uh, the experts have already said that the go to campaign was one of the largest factors for the go to hospital spike that spread like wildfire. You still want to go down that path? Nishimura and Akaba are idiots.

They actually said it was a factor, though not a major factor. But not restarting now is still a good idea.

How about putting the kibosh to the program and sending the citizens of Japan more stimulus?

aomorisamurai.... the problem with that is the citizens don't spend the money. They just stick it in their bank accounts.

The ruling party LDP is disassociated from the populace in a ,'uniquely' Japanese way.

With bankruptcies mounting and food banks being slammed, the primary concerns are Olympic torch relays, resumption of GoTo subsidies and making sure restaurant and entertainment businesses due not appear to be active after 8 or 9 in the evening.

Looking forward to it.

Finally they listened to JT commenters XD

> It is never too late to finally begin listening to the experts

Sarcasm?

Subsidies of up to 7,000 yen per person will be given

How about people pay for themselves like grown adults, and subsidies be scrapped entirely?

Subsidies of up to 7,000 yen per person will be given

How about people pay for themselves like grown adults, and subsidies be scrapped entirely?

@fxgai What’s wrong with you? If they have 40.000¥ or more for the rich businesses, by the way daily , not for a travel here and there, and for closing(!), in other words a present for not working at all, why shouldn’t be there some little yen for the normal people to go for a short trip during all those demanding or stressful months in the pandemic? Grown adults....lol According your theories, you had to close almost all companies and whole countries, as they are all and without exception depending on debts making and financial supports in trillions. 80% or more of human kind would have to die immediately if there wasn’t any support.

Seems like there is no link between infection numbers, Go To and SOE = no strategy here

Please, please stop. Everyone with a brain cell can see now stupid this campaign is.

It Might be better to wait until after the vaccinations have been completed first.

Good move.

Aside from general public health concerns, people are getting dissatisfied with unfair/unreasonable redistributions and pork barrel politics in favor for particular groups at expense of public money. There is also risk of economic crimes.

They are only even considering it because so many people demand they be able to use their points, and because they have already tripled down on what a great idea it was, and that there is no proof in correlation between the 200% normal capacity at restaurants during GO TO and then a massive spike in infection rates a couple weeks later.

How about they stop reusing old ideas that weren't very good and come up with new concepts already?