THE GOVERNMENT of Gifu prefecture in Japan has unveiled two new expressway toll passes targeted at foreign self-drive tourists.
Introduced in partnership with the Toyota Rent-A-Lease Aichi and Central Nippon Expressway companies, the Hayatabi Central Nippon Expressway Pass 2012 G-Pass A and G-Pass S allow travellers to drive along specific toll expressways in Gifu prefecture at discounted rates.
Drivers are provided with an electronic toll collection pass, which facilitates automatic toll payment on expressways, as part of car rental services offered by Toyota.
G-Pass A, which includes routes through the Japan Alps, is priced at ¥7,000 (US$87) excluding car rental, while G-Pass S, which covers expressways along the coast of the Japan Sea, costs ¥9,000. Both routes start from Chubu International Airport, and pass through the city of Nagoya as well as major tourist sites such as Hikone and Takayama.
Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily at the Visit Japan Travel Trade Meet in Singapore, Gifu Prefecture Tourism Federation director, Toshiyasu Kataoka, said: “This is the first time that Gifu has developed a toll pass especially for international arrivals. This was introduced as we wish to capitalise on the growing demand for self-drive holidays among international tourists. Hokkaido introduced a similar scheme last year, and to bolster tourism, we decided to do the same.”
Kataoka added that normally, tourists bypass Gifu when travelling between Tokyo and Osaka, and the federation was hoping for the new initiative to help divert some tourist traffic to the prefecture.
Both passes are valid for seven consecutive days after purchase, and will only be issued on condition that a vehicle is rented from the Toyota booth located at Chubu International Airport, which is the main international gateway for the central region of Japan.
The self-drive promotion runs from March 21 till June 30, with applications to be submitted latest by June 24.
