The government plans to support revival of tourism in Japan's quake-hit southwestern region through such measures as subsidizing repair costs of hotels and offering discounts in accommodation fees for Japanese and foreign visitors, Kyodo quoted government sources as saying Saturday.

The government sees the recovery of tourism as crucial for the Kyushu region, which was rattled by powerful earthquakes in April, given that it is the key industry that has a major impact on other business sectors and employment, according to the sources.

A set of support measures are expected to be finalized by the end of the month, with expenses to be mainly financed with 700 billion yen ($6.4 billion) the government has earmarked for quake recovery efforts in a fiscal 2016 supplementary budget.

Source: MENA