Photo/Illutration The Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on July 22 (Hikaru Uchida)

The government’s messy “Go To Travel” tourism campaign has kicked off, but travelers expecting to take advantage will still have to jump through hoops and overcome potential hurdles to benefit.

Under the campaign that started on July 22, the government has promised to subsidize as much as half of the costs for domestic travel.

Only the day earlier, the government started accepting calls for applications to register for the program from tour operators.

So for now, prospective travelers will not receive a discounted price up front. Instead, they are asked to make the full payment, travel and keep receipts for a possible refund, much like reimbursements for a business trip.

The tourism subsidy campaign is expected to cover 35 percent of accommodation fees up to 14,000 yen ($131) per person per night. For a day trip, one can receive up to a 7,000-yen discount.

There is no limit in terms of the number of nights stayed and the times of travel.

But there are other limits.

Travelers are eligible only if they use tour operators and accommodations that have taken measures to prevent novel coronavirus infections and have registered with the campaign, the tourism ministry said.

To ensure they can receive a discount, people should ask before booking if a particular tour or a hotel is eligible for the campaign, the ministry said.

Accommodations and tours can be booked at tour operators’ sales counters, on the internet or by phone.

The ministry has said that if a hotel or tour operator has not completed the registration application for the program when travelers book or even use their services, the tourist will receive a discount if the operator’s application is approved later.

But if the application is denied over a lack of anti-infection measures and other factors, the traveler may be out of luck.

The campaign, intended to help the tourism industry rebound from losses suffered in the COVID-19 pandemic, was initially slated to begin in mid-August.

However, the ministry moved up the schedule, hoping to take advantage of the four-day holiday weekend that starts on July 23.

The reservation system for tour operators is not expected to be complete until after July 27.

Until then, travelers have to cover all costs and hope to receive refunds after their trips.

They will be required to keep receipts or proof that they actually stayed at a registered accommodation, a document with their address, among other things.

They must later send this information to the campaign’s bureau by mail or via online.

After the reservation system is set up, people only need to pay the discounted fees.

A regional voucher that tourists can use to buy souvenirs and dine while traveling is expected to be ready in or after September.

The value of the voucher is 15 percent of the price that each tourist pays for accommodations or a tour. That way, the government says travelers can expect costs to be halved under the campaign.

The recent surge in novel coronavirus infections, particularly in Tokyo and other major cities, has garnered strong criticism that it is too early for the government to promote tourism again.

After the backlash, the government made a snap decision to exclude Tokyo from the campaign, which further confused the public.

The government also reversed its stance and said that it will cover the cancellation fees for trips to and from Tokyo.

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