A ferry sails near the torii gate of Itsukushimajinja shrine, which is being refurbished on Sept. 1, in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture. Hideki Soejima HATSUKAICHI, Hiroshima Prefecture Visitors to Miyajima island will have a new tax of 100 yen 70 cents starting October 1 next year to pay for upgrades to tourist facilities.
The island is home to the famed Itsukushimajinja shrine, which is a World Heritage site and a popular spot for vacation photos.
The new tax was designed to help shift the burdens of tourists away from local taxpayers because of the steady influx of tourists in recent years.
The visitor tax will help make the island a more sustainable travel destination, according to Hatsukaichi Mayor Taro Matsumoto.
He said at a news conference on Sept. 1 that we believe that our decision will be a beacon of great hope for other tourist sites. We will work hard to make sure the tax will win praise for bringing changes to Miyajima. According to the internal affairs ministry, a similar local tax has been adopted by a remote isle in Okinawa Prefecture, but Miyajima is the first to introduce one among islands off Japan's main island of Honshu.
The new tax is designed to apply to sightseers. It will be added to the fee they pay for a ferry ride from Miyajimaguchi wharf to the island.
Islanders and people who come to Miyajima for school or work, as well as preschool-age children, individuals with disabilities and students on educational trips will be exempt from the charge.
Those who regularly use the ferry service will be able to pay 500 yen in advance for an annual fee.
The new tax will bring in revenues of around 200 million yen each year, according to city officials.
The funds will be used to pay for tourist projects, such as refurbishing the wharf, maintaining restrooms, replacing utility poles with underground cables, and improving the townscape.
Plans also include installing digitized displays at the Miyajima History and Folklore Museum and reducing plastic bottle consumption by urging visitors to bring reusable bottles.
In 2019, the annual visitors to Miyajima reached a staggering 4.66 million. The number fell by half, to 2.21 million, due to the novel coronaviruses, the number dropped by half the following year. The figure fell to 1.88 million last year.
The city of Hatsukaichi plans to promote eco-friendly tourism, organize events off season and make use of digital technology under its Miyajima renaissance program in May.