In Japan, several cities want to introduce a tax for tourists

A little over a year and a half after the reopening of the borders, in October 2022, in a context marked by the weakness of the yen, tourism is in full swing in Japan. According to government statistics reported by the economic daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun, spending by foreign visitors between January and March 2024 even reached a record level of 7,000 billion yen (41 billion euros).

But to finance the infrastructure for welcoming foreigners and curb the damage of overtourism, especially visible around Kyoto and Mount Fuji, more and more local authorities are introducing a special tax for foreign tourists, or are considering doing so, reports the newspaper in another article.

The Tokyo department was the first to take the plunge. In 2002, former governor Shintaro Ishihara introduced