The sacred island of Miyajima has introduced an entrance tax to regulate visitor numbers. ― Picture by Bérangère Chatelain / ETX StudioTOKYO, April 30 ― As Japan gets ready to stage the Osaka World Expo in 2025, the country has never attracted so many overseas visitors, setting record after record. As a result, action to regulate tourist numbers at popular sites is already being taken.
Month after month, Japan is breaking its own visitor records. Earlier this year, the Japan National Tourism Organisation reported visitor numbers totalling 2.79 million international travellers for February 2024, the highest figure since the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the closure of borders. In March, a symbolic milestone was reached, with more than three million visitors. This represents an increase of 11.9 per cent compared to March 2019, i.e.
After being completely closed to international visitors due to the pandemic, Japan is once again open for business and attracting curious travellers to admire its legendary cherry blossom season, underway since March. Easter breaks have also contributed to this new visitor record. But these are not the only reasons for this historic number of visitors.
Against a backdrop of tourist overcrowding, and its harmful effects on both the environment and on the lives of local residents, Japan has already taken several measures that demonstrate the country's awareness of the damaging effects that tourism can have. From July, hikers heading to Japan's sacred mountain, Mount Fuji, will have to pay a ¥2,000 fee.
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