attract more visitors but distribute them better

The dilemma brings them. Japan wants more tourists, but not at any price. The first is quite understandable if you take into account that the Government estimates that at the end of this decade the country could be entering billions of dollars extra thanks to tourism. The second is also not difficult to understand in a country that has seen how in record time its main cities, temples, monuments, parks and trails they have been crowded of foreigners.

To get out of this crossroads, the Government of Sanae Takaichi has had an idea: to draw a plan to continue gaining visitors between now and 2030, although in a much more orderly and compatible way with the daily lives of the Japanese.

What has happened? that Japan has proposed an ambitious goal that, if it goes well, could lead the way to Spain and other countries dealing with the effects of mass tourism. The Japanese authorities do not want to give up the ‘goose that lays the golden eggs’ of the arrival of foreign visitors, but they are also not willing to allow the sector to continue putting pressure on the local population. Both objectives are understandable, especially on a political level.

Tourism generates billions of yen each year, a constant cash flow that irrigates both the private sector and the coffers of the Japanese State itself. Furthermore, the Executive led by Takaichi is convinced that the country has not reached its ceiling as a destination and can receive even more tourists. On the other hand, massification has become such a thorny issue that it already conditions the political agenda and has given wings to one far right xenophobic and ‘anti-tourist’.

What does the Government want to do? At the end of last week the Council of Ministers approved an ambitious 94 page document titled “Basic Plan for the Promotion of Japan as a Tourist Nation”, basically a roadmap that outlines the path that the country wants to follow between 2026 and 2030.

In their presentation, the authorities insisted above all on two messages. First, they want to continue working to establish Japan as an international destination, making tourism a “strategic industry.” The second idea is that they want to advance on that path in a “sustainable” way.

“Based on the fact that tourism is a strategic industry (and) with the aim of achieving tourism that sustainably transmits the attractiveness and dynamism of Japan to future generations, it has been decided to promote tourism policy with the following guidelines: ‘sustainable development of tourism’, ‘increased spending’, ‘promoting the attraction of visitors to the regions’, ‘strengthening collaboration between tourism, transportation and urban development’, and ‘large-scale application and deployment of new technologies'”, resume the Executive.

Is it that important? Yes. It may sound like bureaucratic language, but it brings up some very interesting ideas. For example, the Government is not willing to take its foot off the accelerator. Although there are regions of Japan that give samples of being saturated by the avalanche of foreign visitors and there are even voices that warn that the country will end up suffering a staffing deficit If demand continues to grow, the Government maintains its growth goals.

There is no course correction, no steps back. The objective is the same as the Executive It was marked in 2016: reach the 60 million visitors foreigners in 2030, 40.5% more than in 2025, when the year ended with 42.7 million of international tourists. The idea is that these 60 million visitors will also generate spending of 15 billion yen, almost 60% more than last year.

How do you want to do it? Increasing the capacity of the Japanese administration to put an end to excesses. The Government has decided increase regions that apply policies against overcrowding: from the 47 in 2025 it will be 100 in 2030. The idea is to reinforce the measures deployed thanks to the “international tourist tax”a tribute paid by visitors and that also will redouble in a few months, going from the current 1,000 yen to 3,000.

With this commitment, the Executive seeks to provide more resources to local authorities that want to find solutions to, for example, alleviate saturation problems or combat conflictive behavior, such as the one that a few years ago led the Kyoto authorities to prohibit access of tourists to the geisha district or the Fujikawaguchiko Government to install a fence to cover the views of Fuji and get rid of the tourists who hindered traffic.

Is it the only measure? At all. The plan also proposes reducing congestion on the roads, contemplates limitations on visitors, applying different rates to the native and foreign population, boosting per capita spending by tourists by more than 9% in the coming years… Tokyo also wants to address the challenge of unlicensed accommodationplaces that have strengthened the country’s capacity to welcome tourists but at the cost of feeding a deregulated supply.

With Chinese tourism in low hoursJapan also aspires to diversify your market. Until now, China represented a fundamental source market for the country of the rising sun, but the political conflict generated in November following Takaichi’s statements about Taiwan has caused collapse. The Government plans to expand its market and attract travelers in Europe and the US.

And will it come with that? In reality there is another measure. One with quite a bit of logic. Japan wants to continue gaining tourists without aggravating the situation of those national destinations that are already saturated, so… Why not diversify demand and supply? Why not take tourists out of Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka and take them further afield, even to rural areas? That is one of the ideas collected in the endorsed plan by the Government, which talks about promoting regional areas.

What does it say exactly? “It is essential to reinforce measures aimed at preventing and stopping ‘mass tourism’ (…) and correcting the concentration in certain cities and regions,” collect the document, which is also committed to “diversifying” demand, “improving the attractiveness of regional destinations” and even working to strengthen the transportation network that connects rural areas.

It is not just about making it easy for tourists to reach new destinations in the archipelago. The plan also involves enriching the content that travelers will find when they are there, promoting, for example, gastronomic or sports tourism. The goal: a distribution more equitable of visitors, allowing less popular areas to also benefit.

Images | Jakob Owens (Unsplash) and PJH (Unsplash)

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