Photo/Illutration A ferry sails near the torii gate of Itsukushimajinja shrine, which is being refurbished, in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Sept. 1. (Hideki Soejima)

HATSUKAICHI, Hiroshima Prefecture--Visitors to Miyajima island here will face a new tax of 100 yen (70 cents) starting Oct. 1 next year to pay for much-needed upgrades to tourist facilities.

The island is home to the famed Itsukushimajinja shrine, which is a World Heritage site and a popular spot for vacation photos.

But a steady influx of tourists has resulted in “overtourism” in recent years, so the new tax is designed to help shift part of the burdens brought by tourists away from local taxpayers.

Hatsukaichi Mayor Taro Matsumoto said the visitor tax will help improve the island’s brand and make it a more sustainable travel destination.

“We believe our decision will offer a beacon of great hope for other tourist sites, too,” he told a news conference on Sept. 1. “We will work hard to ensure the tax will win praise for bringing changes to Miyajima.”

According to the internal affairs ministry, a similar local tax has been adopted by a remote isle in Okinawa Prefecture, but Miyajima is the first to introduce one among islands off Japan’s main island of Honshu.

The new tax is designed to mainly apply to sightseers. It will be added to the fee they pay for a ferry ride from Miyajimaguchi wharf to the island.

Islanders and people coming to Miyajima for school or work, as well as preschool-age children, individuals with disabilities and students on educational trips, will all be exempted from the charge.

Those who regularly use the ferry service will can pay 500 yen in advance for an annual fee.

City officials estimate the new tax will bring in revenues to the tune of 200 million yen each year.

The funds will be put toward paying for tourist-related projects, such as refurbishing the wharf, maintaining restrooms, replacing utility poles with underground cables and improving the townscape.

Plans also call for installing digitized displays at the Miyajima History and Folklore Museum and reducing plastic bottle consumption by urging visitors to bring reusable bottles.

Annual visitors to Miyajima reached a staggering 4.66 million in 2019. But the following year the number dropped by half, to 2.21 million, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The figure fell further to 1.88 million last year.

The city of Hatsukaichi plans to promote eco-friendly tourism, organize events off season and make use of digital technology under its “Miyajima renaissance” program announced in May. The new tax will help finance those objectives.

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