Kyoto’s new mayor vows to curb overtourism

Discontent among residents of Kyoto over the rising number of visitors propelled Koji Matsui to victory in the city’s mayoral election on Sunday, but travel industry experts warn some of his campaign pledges to rein them in could be difficult to implement and damage Japan’s tourism sector.

They said that while there needed to be a discussion about the problem of over-tourism in Kyoto, which is considered one of Japan’s “must-see” travel destinations, some of Matsui’s promises – such as raising fares for buses and trains for visitors, and restricting non-residents’ cars from entering the city – could cause even greater problems.

The solution, they suggest, is a more radical rethink of the ancient capital’s approach to tourism that satisfies both residents and visitors.

More than 43.6 million tourists visited Kyoto in 2022, of whom around 576,000 were foreign nationals, more than double the figure of the previous year, when virtually everyone was a domestic visitor due to border restrictions.