Tourists crowd the street leading to the Kiyomizu-dera temple, in Kyoto, January 13, 2025. PAUL MILLER / AFP The authorities of Kyoto, a historic Japanese place affected by overtourism, announced, Tuesday January 14, an increase in massive tourist taxes imposed on visitors from March 2026, increasing up to the equivalent of 60 euros per night and per person depending on the accommodation. These new taxes must still be approved by the municipal assembly. Like Venice or other places emblematic of world tourism, the former Japanese imperial capital, known for its centuries-old Buddhist temples and its traditional streets with geishas in kimonos, is congested by a growing influx of visitors which is putting a strain on its infrastructure. . Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Florence bans key boxes, symbol of overtourism Read later To deal with this, the municipal authorities explained, Tuesday, in a press release, that they “intend to increase the tourist tax in order to achieve to “sustainable tourism” bringing a high level of satisfaction to citizens, tourists and businesses.” Under the proposed plan, visitors renting a room for 20,000 to 50,000 yen per night (124 to 310 euros) will see the city tax double to 1,000 yen (6.20 euros) per person per night . For rooms rented between 310 and 620 euros per night, the tax will be increased to 24 euros. And for the most luxurious accommodation, above 620 euros per night, the tourist tax will be multiplied by ten to reach 62 euros per person per night. Undisturbed tourists Japan has seen the number of foreign tourists explode, which could have reached a record level of some 35 million people in 2024, particularly attracted by the weakening of the yen. The government is targeting 60 million visitors by 2030. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Japan is trying to adapt to ever-increasing tourists Read later This increase in attendance is causing great friction in Kyoto, where residents are complaining about traffic congestion and the behavior of tourists without -embarrassment, who venture into private alleys and harass geishas, particularly in the historic district of Gion, which is home to teahouses where geiko (the local name for geishas) and their apprentices (maiko) perform sophisticated traditional dances and play an ancient musical instrument. Municipal authorities decided in 2024 to ban visitors from certain narrow private lanes in Gion, after pressure from a council of local residents. Other major Japanese metropolises, from Tokyo to Osaka via Fukuoka, already impose tourist taxes on tourists representing a few hundred yen per night for accommodation. As for Mount Fuji, another popular tourist destination in Japan, authorities recently announced new measures to control crowds on the volcano’s most popular hiking trail. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers “The notion of overtourism is class contempt” Read later Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
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