Tourism officials in Kyoto are implementing initiatives to address complaints about tourist overcrowding, termed by local media as “pollution by tourism”.
Over 56.8 million tourists visited the city in calendar 2015, a record high, spending nearly one trillion yen (US$9.12 billion).
However, the vast tourist volume is putting pressure on transport infrastructure, while demand for accommodation has led owners of vacant properties to lease out properties – often illegally – according to Shuhei Akahoshi, managing director of the city’s Department of Conventions & Tourism.
Moreover, foreign tourists are often unaware of local customs such as separating trash, hence creating friction with some locals.
The city’s tourism authorities have taken measures to reduce discord.”We have several ongoing advertising campaigns that promote better manners among tourists. We partnered TripAdvisor to release a guide on this and regularly release information on etiquette online and in tourist information magazines,” Akahoshi said.
He added that the city is dispersing crowds by promoting events beyond peak hours and popular parts of the city as well as encouraging visits in the less-congested months of January, May and June.
Matthew Stevens, conventions and conferences specialist, Kyoto Convention and Visitors Bureau, said travel operators and hotels are “the ideal way to get the message across” as the primary touch points for first-time visitors.
“We are also working very closely with travel companies and hotels to promote these ideas and have so far released three booklets that we distribute to travel firms for their customers,” Stevens said. The most recent is a ryokan guide that also instructs foreign guests on etiquette.
