Tourism is a pillar of Japan's growth strategy and a trump card for regional development, and we believe that it is necessary to achieve both prevention of the spread of the coronavirus and economic recovery.
In order to inhibit the spread of disease and achieve economic recovery, the government will provide support for maintaining employment and continuing business in tourism-related industries, which are severely affected by the new coronavirus infection and employ approximately 9 million people nationwide, as well as stimulate tourism demand through the "New Go to Travel Project" and other measures.
In addition, with an eye on life post-Corona, the government will strategically promote the gradual recovery of inbound tourism, while monitoring the infection situation in Japan and abroad, as well as the renewal of tourist sites, mainly accommodation facilities, and the creation of new tourist content and high value-added tourist sites, which will be implemented in cooperation with local stakeholders.
First, since it is necessary to maintain and recover tourist attractions and the local economy, we will continue to promote measures to stimulate tourism demand, and will expand the scope of travel eligible for support in stages while carefully checking the infection situation.
To start, the prefectural government's so-called "prefectural residents' discount" has so far only supported travel within the prefecture, but since November last year, travel from neighboring prefectures has been added to the scope of support. In the future, based on the status of infection and other factors, we will expand the prefectural residents' discount support to neighboring areas, or regional blocks, at an appropriate time, and then, after reconfirming the status of infection during the year-end and New Year holidays, implement the "New Go to Travel Campaign" on a nationwide scale.
Furthermore, it is necessary to uncover new demand for domestic tourism before the full-scale recovery of inbound tourism. Based on new trends such as the change in people's awareness of work styles and lifestyles caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, we will promote the spread of "new travel styles" such as work vacations, as well as the promotion and establishment of a style of "travel to and from the region again and again" as a "second home," so to speak.
Second, in order for local economies to recover strongly from the pandemic, it is essential to revitalize tourist areas that will serve as the driving force for local development, and to promote the strengthening of the tourism industry that supports this. By doing so local economies can realize a positive cycle of growth and distribution in regions where people can experience affluence.
Therefore, with an eye on post-pandemic life, we will continue to study the revitalization of regions and the strengthening of the tourism industry, by improving productivity in the accommodation industry, creating a safe and secure travel environment, and upgrading the management of tourist attractions through the active use of digital technology.
Third, in order to revitalize and add value to tourist attractions in the region as a whole, we will strongly support efforts to renovate accommodation facilities, which are the face of tourist attractions, and remove abandoned buildings. We will also provide consistent support for these revitalization efforts, from the creation of content to the development of sales channels, by utilizing the unique tourism resources of the region such as nature, food, history, culture, art, livelihood, and transportation.
Fourth, while foreign tourists continue to be unable to enter Japan, we will improve the environment for receiving foreign visitors to Japan in preparation for the recovery of inbound tourism. At the same time, from the perspective of contributing to the economy and employment in local areas and raising incomes, we will provide support for the development of accommodation facilities and human resources to create high value-added inbound tourism destinations.
In addition, the government will implement strategic promotion for visiting Japan and of hybrid MICE events that combine face-to-face and online activities, in order to increase travel spending and attract more visitors to regional areas by providing information on Japan's safety and security efforts as well as regional attractions.
While continuing to adhere to the targets of 60 million tourists and 15 trillion yen in 2030, the government will make concerted efforts to realize a tourism-oriented nation.
■Promotion of Tourism in Okinawa including Restoration of Shuri Castle\
Shuri Castle, which was destroyed by fire in October 2019, is not only the pride of the people of Okinawa, but also an extremely important building as a national historical and cultural heritage site. In order to restore the castle, technical studies are being conducted, including the strengthening of fire prevention measures. This year is an important year for us to start construction of the main building of Shuri Castle, and as the responsible party of the national park project, we will continue to make every effort to restore the castle by 2026 in cooperation with Okinawa Prefecture and related ministries and agencies.
I also believe that tourism in Okinawa has tremendous potential. At Naha Airport, the second runway was put into service the year before last, and by continuing to promote the enhancement of the functions of the international terminal area, I believe that this will contribute to the further promotion of tourism in Okinawa by increasing the number of tourists and improving convenience. As Minister of State for Tourism, I will focus more on the promotion of tourism in Okinawa, with an eye on the full-scale recovery of domestic tourism and inbound tourism.
■Tourism policies in each sector
In terms of domestic cruises, we have resumed operations by implementing thorough countermeasures against infectious diseases on board and at the passenger terminals. As for international cruises, we will take the necessary measures based on the safety and security of the local community, while taking into account the infection situation in Japan and overseas and trends in waterfront safety measures.
Regarding Upopoi, which is a center for the revival and creation of Ainu culture, we will enhance the center’s content and conduct public relations activities to attract more visitors so that they can experience the splendor of Ainu culture and share in the philosophy of ethnic coexistence.
With regard to landscape and historical city planning, we will promote the formulation of plans for maintaining and improving historical townscapes to create favorable landscapes, and continue to provide support to local governments in their efforts to create cities that make use of the unique history, culture, and climate of the region.
We have designated the period from 2020 to 2025 as the third stage of "Michi-no-Eki (Roadside Station)." With the aim of making "Michi-no-Eki" a base for accelerating regional development and tourism, we will promote initiatives such as adapting to new lifestyles in the post-Corona era and strengthening the preventative functions of "Disaster Prevention Michi-no-Eki" to be base during wide-area disaster. We will continue to promote these efforts.
In addition, based on the Second Bicycle Utilization Promotion Plan, which was approved by the Cabinet in May last year, the government, led by the Bicycle Utilization Promotion Headquarters headed by myself, will work together to systematically improve bicycle traffic space, promote the spread of shared bicycles, and encourage the use of the National Cycle Route.
In the railroad field, in order for inbound travelers to enjoy a more comfortable trip on Japan's railroads, we will enhance multilingual information displays and announcements, provide free Wi-Fi service at stations and aboard trains, westernize restrooms, improve the environment for using credit card-compatible ticket vending machines and transportation system IC cards, install large luggage storage areas, and introduce sightseeing trains and cycle trains.
In the field of aviation, we will take the necessary measures to achieve an annual arrival and departure capacity of approximately one million flights at airports in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Specifically, with regard to the development of a third runway at Narita Airport, we will make maximum efforts to enhance the functions of the airport in cooperation with the local government and other related parties. As for Haneda Airport, the new flight paths began operating in March 2020, and we will continue to take measures for noise and safety, work to avoid fixing the new flight paths, and provide detailed information. In terms of regional airports, we will promote the Fukuoka Airport runway expansion project and the New Chitose Airport taxiway double track project to strengthen the gateway function. In addition, to ensure safe and efficient aircraft operations, we will continue our efforts to reorganize domestic air traffic control areas.
