Why are more than 1 tour bus companies closed in Japan?

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Japanese tourist bus industry has been greatly impacted. According to Japanese media reports, since the outbreak of the epidemic, as of September, 112 tourist bus companies in Japan have closed down, and another 5 have declared bankruptcy. The reason is that on the one hand, because the large-scale entry restrictions imposed by Japan have not been lifted, overseas tourists' visits to Japan are basically in a state of suspension; On the other hand, the demand for team chartered cars in Japan continues to be sluggish.

The data shows that the overall operating rate of tourist buses in Japan has only recovered to about 2% before the epidemic, and the income of nearly half of tourist bus companies has dropped by more than 7%. In order to reduce the losses caused by the epidemic, some bus companies launched new business attempts. A company once built a 6-meter-long "bus maze" with 6 buses to attract tourists to experience the fun of walking the maze. However, the benefits of these attempts are only a drop in the bucket.

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Suga Yoshihide: Pay attention to both epidemic prevention and tourism

According to the report of Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK), there were 95 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Japan on the 16th, and the cumulative number of confirmed cases in China increased to 119,646. Up to now, more than 12, cases have been diagnosed in COVID-19, Japan, including 712 cases of the cruise ship "Diamond Princess" which was infected collectively before.

As the epidemic situation has not improved, the Japanese government's previous plan to promote tourism recovery has been questioned. On the 16th, the Japanese government held a "Tourism Strategy Seminar" on balancing epidemic prevention measures and tourism recovery.

It is reported that Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide said at the meeting that "there are about 9 million people engaged in tourism-related work in Japan. In order to protect the local economy and promote the policy of establishing the country through tourism, it is necessary to pay attention to both epidemic prevention measures and tourism recovery, and strive to overcome the current difficulties."

Subsequently, Suga Yoshihide instructed the Japan Tourism Agency to work out relevant policies and plans, and asked it to put forward specific plans at the next meeting.

in July, the Japanese government started the "GoToTravel" activity aimed at subsidizing people to travel abroad. However, since November, the epidemic in Japan has deteriorated again, and some people are worried that if the government continues to encourage travel, it will lead to further deterioration of the epidemic.

China News Network-More than 12, cases of Suga Yoshihide have been diagnosed in COVID-19, Japan: paying attention to epidemic prevention and tourism.