March 28, 2026 | 07:30 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Japan government is designing a set of measures to tackle overtourism across 100 regions by 2030, up from 47 in 2025. This marks the first time Japan has set targets to address the increasingly complex issue post-pandemic.
These measures were approved by the cabinet on Friday, March 27, 2026, and are aimed at addressing the impact of excessive visitor concentration on the quality of life of residents in popular destinations. But the new plan also underlines the need to welcome more foreign tourists, as they are a crucial driver of the country's economy.
As reported by Japan Times, the plan includes utilizing revenue from the departure tax, also known as the international tourist tax. The departure tax is scheduled to be raised to ¥3,000 per person or Rp319,000 in July from the current ¥1,000 or Rp106,000.
Japan will also provide subsidies to local governments that take steps to address overtourism, such as plans to reduce congestion and eliminate inappropriate behavior.
Over the next five years starting from the 2026 fiscal year, Japan will also emphasize the need to attract foreign tourists to rural areas and strengthen enforcement against improper private accommodation operators.
The government maintains the target set in 2016 to attract 60 million tourists to Japan by 2030, up from around 42.7 million in 2025. Tourist spending is also targeted to increase to ¥15 trillion or Rp1,593 trillion compared to around ¥9.5 trillion or Rp1,009 trillion in 2025.
It is mentioned that the government will also consider implementing dual pricing at tourist facilities for residents and foreign tourists.
The number of foreign tourists to Japan in 2025 is estimated to have reached a record 42.7 million, with their spending also reaching a new all-time high of ¥9.5 trillion. February saw a record monthly figure of around 3.47 million foreign tourists, according to government estimates.
With a decrease in the number of Chinese tourists due to strained relations between the two countries, the government plans to focus on attracting more tourists from Europe, the United States, Australia, and other regions.
Read: Is Sustainable Travel Possible in Times of Mass Tourism?
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