Incentive to Travel

Air tickets to Japan are not cheap, but if you were born under the sign of Gemini (insatiable curiosity about anything and everything) or travel-loving Sagitarrius, this idea is for you. Tourism is down because of radiation fears, but vast parts of Japan are free from radiation worries. And speaking of free...

Here's the deal, according to a Japan Times staff writer:

Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011


Tourism blitz: 10,000 to get free flights to Japan


By TAKAHIRO FUKADA
Staff writer

The Japan Tourism Agency said Tuesday that 10,000 foreigners will be given free round-trip tickets to the country in the next fiscal year as part of a campaign to reverse the plunge in tourists since the March 11 disasters and amid a prohibitively high yen.

The agency said it will open a website to solicit applicants. They will be required to answer questions on postquake tourism in Japan and what their travel goals are in the country.

The successful applicants will receive return air tickets but will have to pay for their accommodations and other expenses, said Shuichi Kameyama, head of the agency's international tourism promotion division.

The agency has requested ¥1.1 billion in the fiscal 2012 budget to cover the campaign, he said.

During or after their visits, the agency will ask the recipients to post on blogs or other online social media about their stay in Japan, hoping positive feedback will lure more visitors.