Travellers visiting a popular tourist hotspot in Japan could soon be charged up to six times more than local visitors, officials say.
Some 252,900 Australians travelled to Japan between January and March in 2024, according to The Japan Tourism Organisation.
However, while tourism continues to thrive in Japan, one local official says he wants to introduce a higher price for foreign tourists visiting a key historical site in his prefecture.
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Himeji Mayor Hideyasu Kiyomoto said he was considering charging foreign tourists a fee five times higher than the price for Japanese visitors to enter the world-famous Himeji Castle, local media outlet The Asahi Shimbun reported.
The entrance fee to the World Cultural Heritage site is currently 1000 yen ($A6.35) for all people aged 18 or older.
However, Kiyomoto last month said they would like to set the fee at $30 for foreigners and at about $5 for locals.
“It costs a lot to maintain the condition of the castle, so we are considering implementing different pricing for foreign tourists and local residents,” he said during a press conference in June.
“The exact amount, whether it will be $30 or not, has not been decided yet.”
According to the report, Himeji city reviews the entrance fee to the castle every 10 years.
With discussions still in place, the mayor said possible revisions will be implemented in 2025 at the earliest.
