Japan will increase hotel tax to curb mass tourism

The authorities of Kyoto, the historic Japanese city that also suffers from the excesses of mass tourism, announced a sharp increase in taxes on accommodations starting in 2026, which will rise to more than $60 per night per person depending on the accommodation.

The new taxes must be approved by the municipal assembly and could be applied from March 2026.

Like other destinations coveted by global tourism, from Barcelona, ​​Venice to Maya Bay in Thailand, the former Japanese imperial capital, known for its Buddhist temples and its traditional alleys with geishas in kimonos, is crowded by the increasing flow of visitors who have put Test your infrastructure.

Japan is another country experiencing a rapid increase in foreign tourism, which could have reached a record of 35 million visitors in 2024, attracted especially in the last year by the weakness of the yen. The government has estimated that by 2030 they will receive 60 million visitors.

But this rampant tourism in Kyoto is causing significant friction: Residents complain about traffic congestion and the behavior of insolent tourists who sneak into private alleys and harass geishas, ​​traditional performers before they became trophies to be photographed and post on social media.

To address this situation, “we intend to increase the stay tax in order to achieve ‘sustainable tourism’ that provides a high level of satisfaction to citizens, tourists and companies,” municipal authorities said in a statement on Tuesday.

Under the proposed plan, visitors who rent a room between 20,000 yen and 50,000 yen per night ($127 to $318) will see their tourist tax doubled to 1,000 yen ($6.35) per person per night.

For rooms rented between 50,000 yen and 100,000 yen per night (i.e. between $318 and $640), the tax will rise to 4,000 yen ($24.6). And for the most luxurious accommodations, above $625 per night, the tourist tax will be multiplied by ten to reach more than $60 per person per night.

From Tokyo to Osaka, passing through Fukuoka, large Japanese cities already impose accommodation taxes on tourists.

Another favorite destination in Japan is Mount Fuji, where authorities also took new measures to control crowds on the volcano’s most popular hiking route.

FOUNTAIN: With information from AFP