Over 80％ of Survey Respondents Concerned about Increasing Foreign Visitors to National Parks; Close to Half Also Anticipate Economic Boost

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, October 31, 2024

More than 80% of respondents to a recent government survey said they are concerned about the increasing number of foreign tourists visiting the country’s national parks. On the other hand, nearly half of the respondents indicated that they expected this rise to bring about positive effects on the economy.

With the recovery of inbound tourist numbers, which were depressed by the COVID-19 pandemic, calls for measures to address public concerns seem set to rise as well.

The Cabinet Office conducted the survey via mail between July and August, targeting 3,000 men and women aged 18 or older across the country. Of those, responses were received from 1,750, or 58.3%.

Respondents were asked how they feel about the increasing number of foreign visitors to national parks, to which they were allowed to give multiple answers. The largest number of people, 85.8%, expressed concerns about possible violations of rules and manners. But 45.9% said positive economic effects could be expected, and 28.3% said regional revitalization could be expected.

As for dealing with overuse of natural parks, which could prevent visitors from appreciating the natural environment due to overcrowding and cause plants to be trampled, the largest number, 55.8%, chose “setting limits on visitor numbers.” More than half of respondents also picked “thorough education on manners” and “charging visitors to enter parks.”

In recent years, overtourism has become a social problem in places across the country, including the area around Mt. Fuji.

“Considering the large number of people who are concerned about this, we will work hard to make people more aware of how to behave in national parks,” said an official of the Environment Ministry’s section tasked with promoting the use of national parks.