Akita Prefecture and local municipalities will launch a travel-support campaign on May 15, 2026, to subsidize accommodation costs for visitors [1].
The initiative seeks to prevent a slump in travel demand after the Golden Week holiday period. By lowering costs, officials hope to support local hospitality businesses struggling with price inflation and regional challenges, including bear sightings [1, 2].
The program offers discounts of up to ¥12,000 per night [1]. For example, a room normally priced at ¥10,000 per night could be available for ¥5,000 under the featured plan [1]. These subsidies will be available from May 15, 2026, through the end of July 2026 [1].
Participating areas include Haga-cho, where the campaign aims to highlight unique local experiences. One such establishment is the inn Bonshuku U, which operates out of a renovated warehouse that is 180 years old [1]. The campaign also includes bundled experience packages to encourage longer stays, and deeper engagement with the region [1, 2].
"Since the discount rate and the amount are large, I think this is a chance for many people to come," said Kyono Kenko, the owner of Bonshuku U [1].
Local officials are targeting the specific window when travel interest typically wanes. "Because it was a time when the desire to travel settled down after Golden Week, we aimed for that so that it would not settle down," said Kurosaki Taku, the tourism strategy chief for Akita Prefecture [1].
“discounts of up to ¥12,000 per night”
This campaign represents a strategic effort by regional Japanese governments to flatten the seasonal volatility of tourism. By implementing aggressive subsidies immediately following a major national holiday, Akita Prefecture is attempting to create a secondary peak in visitor numbers to stabilize the revenue of small-scale hospitality providers.
