Japan Intensifies Efforts to Combat Overtourism with New Five-Year Plan
Japan is implementing a new five-year tourism plan to address the challenges of overtourism, aiming to balance its goal of increasing international visitors with the need to ensure local communities can manage the influx. The government plans to expand the number of regions taking measures against overtourism to 100 by 2030, a significant increase from 47 in 2025. This initiative will involve government subsidies to support local authorities in tackling issues such as overcrowding, congestion, and inappropriate tourist behavior. Despite these efforts to mitigate negative impacts, Japan remains committed to its tourism growth targets, aiming for 60 million international visitors and ¥15 trillion in visitor spending by 2030. The Japan Tourism Agency acknowledges that current levels of excessive crowds and poor behavior are affecting residents' quality of life and could ultimately diminish the visitor experience.
