After several media outlets and travel blogs broke the news that the Japanese government was planning to pay for half of tourists’ expenses via the “Go to Travel Campaign”, the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) debunked these claims through their official social media accounts.

Based on additional info from Mainichi, the “Go to Travel Campaign” will feature government subsidies worth up to JPY 20,000 (approximately SGD 262) per day for leisure travellers, distributed through a combination of discount coupons and gift vouchers for use in local area restaurants and shops.

The subsidies are only applicable for trips purchased through Japanese travel agencies, as well as rooms booked directly with local hotels and ryokan. Airline tickets of overseas travellers flying to Japan will not be covered in any part.

Sorry, kids — guess you’ll have to save up for that Japan trip the hard way!