In the wake of Japan’s state of emergency being lifted, the number of foreign visitors has surged. However, this has caused problems such as traffic congestion and garbage pollution. In order to manage the increasing number of tourists and generate more revenue for local governments, several cities in Japan have proposed to charge higher fees for foreign visitors. These fees include a separate accommodation tax or increased admission fees to tourist attractions. The South Korean tourists occupying the largest percentage of foreign visitors to Japan, will be particularly impacted by these measures.
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said on Mar. 6, “In order to prevent the problems caused by overtourism, we propose implementing a tax system targeting foreign tourists.”
In 2017, the city of Osaka started collecting a nightly fee of $2.03 (300 yen) from both locals and foreigners staying at hotels and other lodging establishments. Furthermore, the city has now decided to impose an additional charge for foreigners only. The details regarding the amount and method of collection are yet to be finalized.
This kind of move to increase the cost burden on tourists is spreading across Japan. The Tokyo metropolitan government is also discussing an accommodation tax increase, and the city of Urayasu in Chiba prefecture, home to the Disney resort, has begun discussing a proposed increase from next year. Mount Fuji near Tokyo, which is facing growing environmental concerns, will charge an additional $13.53 (2,000 yen) for users of its most popular hiking trail (the Yoshida Route).
As Chinese group tourists are flooding Osaka after Chinese group tours resumed, the city plans to collect an additional accommodation tax from foreign tourists to help pay for street cleaning. The Osaka Expo (World Expo) is scheduled for next year, and the city is also planning to construct an integrated resort that will feature Japan’s first casino in 2029. Osaka is the most visited Japanese city by tourists from Korea.
“Issues such as whether collecting money only from foreigners constitutes discrimination and whether foreign nationals living in Japan should be exempted or not remain,” Japan’s ABC TV said of Osaka’s foreign tourism surcharge.
