Starting from 7 January 2019, all travellers departing from Japan by ship or plane will have to pay a 1,000 yen (RM36) departure tax named as the "Sayonara Tax", (What a cute name, though!). This tax applies to both Japanese and foreign travellers. However, children under the age of two and transit passengers leaving Japan within 24 hours of arrival will be exempted.
The tax is a part of an effort to raise 40 million yen annually in tourism sector. Japan's Parliament, or the Diet, enacted on Wednesday (April 11) a Bill to introduce the departure tax which will be charged at the time the travellers buy air or sea tickets.
The revenue generated will be used to improve on tourism infrastructure, promote travel destinations of rural parts of Japan, technology advancements such as the facial recognition at airport gates, electronic payment options, free Wi-Fi on public transportations, and to fund global tourism campaigns
Japan attracted a record of 28.69 million tourists in 2017, 19.3% increase from the previous year. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aims to increase that figure to 40 million by 2020, when Tokyo will be hosting the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, and to 60 million by 2030.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), travellers from Singapore made around 400,000 trips to Japan last year. China and South Korea are the top two tourist sources for Japan, each accounting for around 25% of the total number of visits last year.
Within Japan, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Osaka Prefectural Government charge a lodging tax of 100 to 300 yen per person per night respectively to finance local tourism promotion and other measures.
Kyoto plans to follow suit from October this year.
Some critics fear the new tax could dampen the travel appetites of budget tourists but Japan is not the first country to charge a departure tax on travellers. What do you think? Would you visit Japan lesser after this?
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