Tales of overtourism in Japan are not vastly exaggerated, a recent survey of foreign visitors to the East Asian archipelago suggests, and guests in the country would be prepared to pay more to alleviate the issue. Conducted on behalf of the Development Bank of Japan and the country’s Travel Bureau Foundation, the survey of 7,796 citizens from Asia, Australia, Britain, France, and the USA dug into their travel plans and experiences.
Overcrowding and antisocial behaviour
Overcrowding was the most commonly encountered problem, according to the survey responses. Asked about problems associated with overtourism, 32% of the foreign tourists said they had experienced congestion. That’s up 2% since a pre-Covid survey undertaken in 2019.
Antisocial behaviour or “bad manners” was the next most frequently cited overtourism issue visitors had the misfortune to meet. Examples given included people littering and ignoring signs that prohibit access to forbidden areas.
And, in an interesting development, 63% of those asked said they would now be prepared to pay more to avoid the negative effects of overtourism. That’s a shift in attitude of +20% in the space of five years.
Localities raising taxes while ministers raise targets
Japan is in the midst of some soul-searching when it comes to tourism. Certain destinations, such as Mount Fuji and the famous red Itsukushima floating shrine, have already raised alerts about overtourism and introduced local taxes to combat the negative impacts of so much footfall.
Yet national authorities have set tourism targets that aim to double the current 30 million tourist arrivals a year. Record arrivals flowed into Japan almost non-stop in 2023, and with Osaka playing host to a much-anticipated World Expo in 2025, that does not seem set to abate any time soon. Indeed 72% of survey respondents expressed interest in attending the international exhibition, and an extraordinary 42% said the expo would be their main reason for going to Japan.
Rural Japan’s untapped potential
Ichiro Takahashi, Japan’s tourism commissioner has already signalled that achieving the country’s 60 million target will mean “making the right efforts,” including spreading tourism’s benefits to lesser-known areas. “There are still many little-known places in Japan that are left unexplored by tourists from overseas – I believe Japan has infinite tourism resources,” he said earlier in 2024.
In the light of the latest survey, the government might be pleased to hear this gamble on the growth of rural tourism looks likely to pay off. There appears to be a huge appetite among Japanophiles to get to know the Japanese countryside, with a colossal 97% of respondents who have already visited or plan to visit Japan expressing interest in the country’s regional destinations – something that only less than 10% of them have so far been lucky enough to do.
