Amid Record Visitation Japanese Leaders Discuss Charging Tourists Higher Costs Than Locals

Japan’s tourism industry has been booming this year with record levels of visitors but that reality has also triggered overtourism challenges.

With the value of the Yen at a 38-year low, visitors from the United States and other source markets have been flocking to the country.

Just last week, tourism officials in the country reported that a new monthly record was set in June with foreign visitation levels reaching 3.14 million. That’s an uptick from the previous record set in March when the figure was 3.01 million.

Now, businesses and tourist attractions in Japan may implement a dual pricing system for foreign visitors and locals, The Guardian is reporting.

The call for the price change comes from the head of the Hokkaido Tourism Organization, who has asked businesses in Japan’s northernmost prefecture to set lower prices for locals.

Per The Guardian, the organization wants to conduct a trial run for a two-tier system of pricing this autumn. The information about the proposal was picked up from the local Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

According to that publicaiton, a Hokkaido hotel operator has said the two-tier pricing system is needed “to ensure Japanese people don’t leave internationally popular resorts such as Niseko.”

Meanwhile, the mayor of Himeji in western Japan was quoted in June about plans to quadruple entrance fees for foreign tourists at Himeji Castle, a Unesco-registered samurai fortress that dates back to the 17 th century.

As it stands right now, the fee for adults to visit the castle is about 1,000 yen, which amounts to about $6.44. But the mayor said he wants to set the price at $30 for tourists from other countries and $5 for residents.

The mayor, Hideyasu Kiyomoto, also expressed concerns about possible damage from too many visitors, The Guardian reported. About 1.48 million people visited the castle in the 2023 financial year. About 452,300 of those visitors were not from Japan.

Other locations in Japan have floated similar proposals to combat overtoruism, including Osaka Prefecture.
Locals in the country have expressed their support for such measures.

According to a survey conducted by Loyalty Marketing, which operates a shopping points card, more than 60 percent of people in a survey of 1,200 individuals said they approved separate prices for foreign tourists.

The idea has already been rolled out by Japanese Seafood restaurant Tamatebako. Opened in Tokyo a few months ago, the restaurant charges foreign tourists 7,678 yen ($49.30) for a weekday all you can eat and drink buffet, The Guardian reported. The price for Japan residents, however, is 6,578 yen ($42.24).

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