Popular travel destination sees record-high tourism topping 33M visitors
Visitors from far and wide are traveling to Japan, resulting in the country breaking a new tourism record.
Between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, projections indicate that nearly 33.4 million travelers visited Japan, according to the country’s government site.
Out of the three million travelers who visited Japan in November of this year, 247,500 were Americans.
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Thirty percent of visitors noted experiencing overcrowding at popular spots, according to a Japan Tourism Board (JTB) Foundation and the Development Bank of Japan report.
In 2023, 62% of travelers reported that they spent their trip in nature and "scenery seeing," according to Japan’s Tourism Statistics.
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Japan is known for its hot springs (onsens) and bathing facilities surrounded by inns, drawing tourists from around the world.
Twenty-eight percent of tourists reported they bathed in a hot spring, with 48% saying they plan to do so next time they visit Japan.
Municipalities in Japan are considering raising bathing taxes at scenic hot springs locations, while other cities discuss introducing a lodging tax in an attempt to curb overtourism, Fox News Digital reported.
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The standard bathing tax is currently around 150 yen ($0.98) per day, according to the Japanese paper The Asahi Shimbun.
In March, the hot spring town of Higashi-Izu will raise its bathing tax to around 300 yen ($2), reported TTG Asia, an Asia-Pacific travel trade business resource.
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Three municipalities on the northern island of Hokkaido have introduced a lodging tax in addition to bathing taxes, with 16 other municipalities considering the tax, The Asahi Shimbun reported.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Japan Tourism Agency of the Japanese government for comment.