Hongkongers undeterred by Japan’s plan to tackle overtourism through taxes, experts say
Industry leaders say additional tax unlikely to push up prices of tours, even as Japanese municipalities eye additional revenue stream
Hongkongers’ enthusiasm for travelling to Japan is expected to remain robust even as more municipalities in the country plan to impose lodging taxes to ease overtourism, according to industry leaders.
Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, executive director of EGL Tours, which specialises in package tours to Japan, also said on Sunday that the additional tax was unlikely to push up the prices of tours to the country.
According to a Kyodo news agency report, 42 municipalities have already either imposed or plan to charge accommodation taxes at hotels and ryokans – traditional Japanese inns.
The tax levels vary in the different places and in accordance with the type of accommodation. In general, the tax can range from 200 yen to 10,000 yen (US$1.40 to US$68) per night for a guest room.
The local governments said they aimed to use the levies to maintain or upgrade tourism facilities amid surging inbound arrivals.
A survey by the news agency between June and July showed that 728 of the 1,723 local governments polled had expressed “interest” in introducing lodging taxes.