Locals in Japan are up in arms over the influx of tourists as the country witnesses a boom in the number of visitors.
Data from the Japan National Tourism Organisation revealed on Wednesday that over 36.8 million people visited the Asian country for business or leisure last year.
Aljazeera reports that the figures far surpass 2019’s record of nearly 32 million arrivals and compared with 25.07 million visitors in 2023.
Earlier this week, Kyoto, one of Japan’s most popular tourist destinations, revealed its plans to increase hotel lodging taxes to as much as 10,000 yen (£51) per night.
According to the officials, the aim was to tackle concerns about overtourism.
Kyoto Mayor Koji Matsui stated that the additional revenue would be used to enhance infrastructure, including roads and bridges, to ensure residents “tangibly feel” the benefits of tourism in their daily lives.
This decision follows a move last year when officials in Kyoto’s historic Gion district banned tourists from entering alleyways after reports of visitors harassing geishas.
Other municipalities in Japan have also introduced measures to address complaints about overburdened infrastructure and unruly tourist behaviour.
In May, local authorities in Fujikawaguchiko, a holiday town near Mount Fuji, installed a barrier at a well-known social media hotspot.
This location had become famous for its unique perspective, where Mount Fuji seems to “float” above a convenience store in photographs, attracting a large number of tourists eager to capture the striking view.
The barrier was put up to manage the surge in visitors and mitigate its impact on the area. The influx caused concerns about overcrowding, disruption to the local community, and potential safety issues.
In June, Himeji Mayor Hideyasu Kiyomoto sparked debate by suggesting that foreign tourists could be charged six times the entry fee of locals to visit the city’s UNESCO-listed castle.
Despite the recent surge, Japan still receives significantly fewer tourists per capita than top destinations like France, Italy, and Spain.
The Japanese government plans to attract 60 million visitors annually by 2030 as part of its tourism strategy.
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