Japan weighs dual pricing at tourist sites to curb overtourism
Japan’s tourism agency is studying how local authorities and businesses can set separate fees as attractions seek funds for upkeep and crowd control.
- Japan's Tourism Agency is officially reviewing a dual-pricing system for tourist sites, which would set higher entrance fees for non-residents and foreign tourists.
- The primary goals of this policy are to combat the effects of overtourism and to help fund the maintenance and improvement of attractions.
- The agency plans to create guidelines within the current fiscal year to help local governments and businesses implement this differentiated pricing.
- Himeji Castle has already implemented such a system, raising its entrance fee for non-residents while keeping the price for residents the same.
Experts commissioned by the Japan Tourism Agency met on Monday (April 27) to launch a review of dual pricing for tourist sites, in which charges for nonresidents, including inbound tourists, are set higher than those for residents.
Based on their discussions, the agency plans to draw up guidelines as early as this fiscal year that will assist local governments and businesses in setting charges.
"In recent years, there has been a trend toward revising fees to help maintain and enhance tourism content and address overtourism," JTA Commissioner Shigeki Murata said at the meeting. "Such cases can be used as references for other tourism facilities and services."
In March, the Himeji city government in the western prefecture of Hyogo raised the entrance fee for Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to 2,500 yen for nonresidents, while keeping the price for residents unchanged at 1,000 yen.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
