Starting this summer, tourists who intend to hike Mount Fuji in Japan will need to pay an entry fee for one of the routes on this mountain.
This iconic destination, often crowded with tourists, deals with problems like high pollution, litter problems, and unprepared visitors, VisaGuide.World reports.
In addition to the entry charge, authorities have planned to set a daily visitor limit. As reported by Euronews, Japanese authorities decided to take such measures in an attempt to tackle overtourism.
More specifically, starting from July 1 this year, there will be a daily limit of 4,000 hikers at the Yoshida trail. Moreover, climbers cannot begin their ascent between 4 pm and 2 am. Regarding the entry fee, authorities will reveal the sum next month.
In addition, authorities intend to install a gate at the Yoshida trail entrance, where they will collect the fees. They further revealed that the funds will be used to build shelters along the trail for use in case of a volcanic eruption and to maintain the hiking route.
In a bid to support the preservation of the site, since 2014, climbers have been asked to voluntarily contribute a sum of ¥1,000 (€6.20) per person.
Mount Fuji Experienced a Surge in Visitors Number Last Year
Back in 2013, Mount Fuji was recognized as a cultural property by the World Heritage Committee (UNESCO). Since then, the number of tourists has been increasing.
In 2023 alone, 221,322 people climbed Mount Fuji, while over 50 percent of those walked through the Yoshida trail.
The increase in visitors has led to more trash on the trail and traffic jams that have resulted in accidents and injuries, as further reported by the media. Moreover, there are concerns about new hikers trying the trail and getting into trouble near the top, with fewer facilities.
The tourism sector in Japan saw a significant increase last year, nearly returning to pre-pandemic levels. According to the National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Japan welcomed over two million foreign visitors per month for four months in a row, reaching 96 percent of all visitors in 2019.
In June last year, Japan’s Travel & Tourism sector was only 6.8 percent below the pre-pandemic peak of $306.5 billion (JPY 40.3 trillion) recorded in 2019, according to a report from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).