Nagasaki Prefecture announced that the eligibility period for the Japan Tourism Agency’s “Kyushu Recovery Support Discount” travel assistance program covers stays from October 1 through December 25. Depending on sales, the program may end early or be extended beyond January 2027.
The maximum discount amount is 20,000 yen per night for accommodation-only packages and accommodation-and-transportation packages; 30,000 yen for accommodation-and-transportation packages of two or more nights; and 35,000 yen for multi-destination tour packages spanning two or more prefectures. This discount can be combined with the “Nagasaki Island Travel Discount Campaign,” but reservations made before the sales start date are not eligible.
Nagasaki Prefecture has included project costs totaling 1,001,492,000 yen in its supplementary budget proposal for September of Reiwa 8; the discount amount is funded by 900,134,300 yen, which is equivalent to 90 percent of the subsidy received from the national government.
There are three main booking methods: “OTA,” “travel agencies,” and “direct bookings with accommodations.” OTAs include online travel sites such as Jalan.net and Rakuten Travel; bookings through these channels are scheduled to begin during the week of September 14, ahead of the other two booking methods.
Regarding tour packages offered by brick-and-mortar travel agencies, the company is currently reviewing which products will be eligible and when sales will begin. The program will cover not only tours that take place entirely within Nagasaki Prefecture but also those that span multiple prefectures in Kyushu.
Regarding direct sales by lodging facilities, the company plans to launch a reservation portal (free to register and use). Travelers who register as members on the site will be able to receive discount coupons valid at participating facilities.
According to a survey conducted by the Nagasaki Prefecture Ryokan and Hotel Public Health and Hygiene Association, as of August 7, the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto Earthquake had resulted in 5,657 reservation cancellations totaling 15,013 guest-nights, with damages amounting to 236 million yen. Based on these findings, Nagasaki Prefecture has announced that the total estimated losses amount to 70,000 guest-nights and 1 billion yen.
If, in implementing this initiative, 400 million yen is allocated to OTAs, 400 million yen to travel agencies’ tour packages, and 100 million yen to direct bookings at lodging facilities, the economic impact is expected to exceed 80,000 room-nights and total 2.9 billion yen in consumer spending (budget allocations are tentative).
Furthermore, regarding concerns raised by some quarters about excessive price hikes at lodging facilities, Mr. Takeshi Koyanagi, Director of the Tourism Promotion Division, stated at the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly meeting held on September 7, “While we anticipate some price increases due to rising travel demand, we intend to report any clearly unreasonable price hikes to the national government and consider appropriate measures.”
© Source travel watch