Japan Tourism to Offer 10,000 Free Flights to Bloggers
At last, there may be a way to put your otherwise life-crippling Facebook addiction to good use.
At last, there may be a way to put your otherwise life-crippling Facebook addiction to good use. Japan Tourism Agency is looking to hook up 10,000 ‘highly influential blogger-types, and others’ - aka social media junkies - with a free trip to Japan. All they require in return is that the lucky recipients do what they do best, and share their experience in cyber land.
The tsunami-triggered nuclear disaster of March this year delivered a mighty suckerpunch to Japan’s tourism industry. The agency is prepared to spend 1.5 billion yen on their plan to kick start tourism with the round-trip tickets, once approved by Japan’s lawmakers. The plan could well pay off, with first-hand accounts offering a personal touch to sooth the security fears of would-be travelers unsettled by heavy media coverage of the 80,000 locals still displaced by radiation. But it also invests a lot of trust in their temporary marketers to document a positive experience. Fingers crossed they don't get food poisoning from too much raw fish or attacked by the notoriously-aggressive snow monkeys - whatever you do, don't look them in the eye - along the way.
Golden ticket bearers will have to pay for their own accommodation and meals, but will save at least a grand on airline expenses. So if Facebook owes you one for all the hours it has robbed from you that could have been spent having real-life experiences, keep an eye out for the launch of a website by the Japan Tourism Agency to lodge your application once the Japanese government approves the initiative.
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