The current international tourist tax is 1,000 yen per person. This tax was established in 2019 with the aim of securing permanent financial resources to expand and strengthen the foundation of tourism. What is the situation with this type of tax in each country? According to JTB documents, the United States is 22 dollars (about 3,100 yen). Egypt is about 3,500 yen, and Australia is about 6,500 yen, which are higher than Japan. Tax revenue from Japan’s international tourist tax is rapidly increasing. The Ministry of Finance has announced that the international tourist tax for fiscal 2024 has reached a record high. Foreign visitors to Japan are said to benefit from the world’s safest security, Japan’s infrastructure, and public services. A senior member of the LDP’s Tax Commission seems to think that the reason for the increase of more than 1,000 yen is understandable, taking into account the standards of other countries.
There are also some problems in popular tourist destinations. The tallest mountain in Japan is Mt. Fuji. About 200,000 people climb Mt. Fuji every year. Many accidents also occur. There is a phenomenon of a sharp increase in the number of foreign visitors to Japan. In particular, Mt. Fuji, which is also a symbol of Japan, is gaining popularity. There is no absolute safety in climbing. The trailheads of Mt. Fuji are in Shizuoka Prefecture and Yamanashi Prefecture. These two prefectures have passed an ordinance to change the voluntary Mt. Fuji conservation contribution (1,000 yen) to an entrance fee (4,000 yen). Mt. Fuji, a symbol of Japan, will be a rare model in the country for collecting fees from all climbers. The total amount collected will be used for multilingual guidance for inbound tourists and safety and environmental measures.
An interesting experiment is ongoing on Mt. Fuji. This experiment was conducted for climbers of Mt. Fuji over four days in August 2019. 6,000 people were loaned beacons (radio transmitters) each day and asked to wear them in their backpacks. Receivers that receive radio waves were installed at 50 locations in mountain huts and along the mountain trails. When climbers pass near the receivers, the information sent and received via short-range wireless is collected on a server. The radio waves emitted from the beacons are picked up by receivers installed in mountain huts and other locations, making it possible to collect movement information in real time. Information such as “which climbers passed where and when,” “where are the mountain huts and areas where climbers are concentrated,” and “which routes are congested” are now clearly visible at a glance. However, distributing beacons and installing receiving stations incurs costs. If the money from charging for mountain climbing could be used for such safety measures for climbing, it would lead to a reduction in accidents.
