Japan’s government has granted final approval for Kyoto to implement the nation’s highest-ever hotel tax, authorising the historic capital to charge guests up to 10,000 yen (US$68) per person, per night at luxury hotels from next March in a bid to rein in rampant overtourism.
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The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications gave the green light to the move on Friday, removing the last bureaucratic barrier after Kyoto’s city assembly endorsed the proposal earlier this year.
The new tax regime, which scales from 200 yen for budget accommodation to 10,000 yen for stays priced above 100,000 yen per night, will far surpass the current maximum levy of 1,000 yen.
“Tourists also must bear the cost of countermeasures against overtourism,” city officials insisted in their submission to the ministry, according to the Asahi Shimbun.
The move comes as the city grapples with mounting pressures from record tourist numbers and growing discontent – from geisha being mobbed by visitors in the Gion district to schools avoiding class trips to the city due to overcrowding and spiralling costs.
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“Kyoto is going to use revenue from the accommodation tax to build a sustainable tourism city, which must be good for both tourists and Kyoto citizens,” Mayor Koji Matsui said at a press conference in January.