{"id":21933,"date":"2011-10-17T10:06:58","date_gmt":"2011-10-17T14:06:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/?p=21933"},"modified":"2011-10-17T10:06:58","modified_gmt":"2011-10-17T14:06:58","slug":"jnto-seeks-to-offer-10000-free-tickets-to-japan-to-help-jumpstart-tourism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/2011\/10\/17\/jnto-seeks-to-offer-10000-free-tickets-to-japan-to-help-jumpstart-tourism\/","title":{"rendered":"JNTO seeks to offer 10,000 free tickets to Japan to help jumpstart tourism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Still pending final approval by the Diet, but pretty amazing opportunity for anyone who wants to visit Japan. \u00a0Seems like it’s modeled on the MOFA Return to Tohoku<\/a><\/strong> program that 20 Tohoku area JET alumni have participated in.<\/p>\n

Here’s a link to the article: \u00a0http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/blogs\/abc-blogs\/10-000-free-round-trip-tickets-japan-134142507.html<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever wanted to visit Japan, this may be your chance.<\/p>\n

In a desperate attempt to lure tourists back to a country plagued by radiation fears and constant earthquakes, the Japan Tourism Agency\u2019s proposed an unprecedented campaign \u2013 10,000 free roundtrip tickets.<\/p>\n

The catch is, you need to publicize your trip on blogs and social media sites.<\/p>\n

The number of foreign visitors to Japan has dropped drastically, since a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Power plant in March. Nearly 20,000 people have been confirmed dead, while more than 80,000 remain displaced because of radiation concerns. In the first three months following the triple disasters, the number of foreign visitors to Japan was cut in half, compared with the same time in 2010. The strong Japanese currency has made matters worse.<\/p>\n

The tourism agency says it plans to open a website to solicit applicants interested in the free tickets. Would- be visitors will have to detail in writing their travel plans in Japan, and explain what they hope to get out of the trip. Successful applicants would pay for their own accommodation and meals. They would also be required to write a review their travel experiences, and post it online.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are hoping to get highly influential blogger-types, and others who can spread the word that Japan is a safe place to visit,\u201d said Kazuyoshi Sato, with the agency.<\/p>\n

The agency has requested more than a billion yen to pay for the tourism blitz. If lawmakers approve the funding, Sato says visitors could begin signing up as early as next April.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Still pending final approval by the Diet, but pretty amazing opportunity for anyone who wants to visit Japan. \u00a0Seems like it’s modeled on the MOFA Return to Tohoku program that 20 Tohoku area JET alumni have participated in. Here’s a link to the article: \u00a0http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/blogs\/abc-blogs\/10-000-free-round-trip-tickets-japan-134142507.html If you\u2019ve ever wanted to visit Japan, this may be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[30,368],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-japan-trends","category-traveltourism"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t