NAHA, Japan Kyodo a cap of 1,200 visitors per day is to be introduced in an island in Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa as part of a drive to prevent overtourism disrupting residents' way of life and the local ecosystem, according to the prefectural government.
The Okinawa prefectural government will aim to cap the total annual visits to Iriomote Island in April. The Galapagos of the East, dubbed by local authorities, is known for its natural beauty and unique species of wildcat only found on the island.
The measures won't be compulsory for the time being, with relevant parties being urged to cooperate with the cap.
The island, which has around 2,400 inhabitants, was seeing about 300,000 visitors a year before the coronaviruses epidemic. This has resulted in issues caused by tourism, such as water shortages and traffic accidents involving the endangered Iriomote wildcats.
In 2008, the population of the wildcats was estimated to be on a downward trend with only about 100 living on the island, according to data from the Iriomote Wildlife Conservation Center.
The prefectural government said that it will limit visitor numbers in five natural world heritage sites, including where there are endangered species. Controls will vary from 30 to 200 people per day, and the government will urge them to enter with a guide.