TOKYO: A growing number of tourist attractions in Japan are considering implementing a two-tier pricing system which charges foreign tourists more than local residents.

The measure, already adopted at many restaurants and other stores, is being mulled at tourist spots such as Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to secure funds for maintaining the facilities as inbound visitors to Japan are increasing at a record pace.

Experts have warned that the system may lead to discrimination if it is not carefully thought out.

“I think it would be good to have two types of fee settings for citizens and people coming from overseas,” Hideyasu Kiyomoto, mayor of the city of Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, said in June of entrance fees to Himeji Castle.

About 1.48 million tourists visited the castle in the year through this March, of whom over 30 percent were foreign nationals. While the total visitor tally grew by about 50 percent from the previous year, that of foreigners surged roughly 4.5-fold.

Kiyomoto noted that “the castle tower will be damaged if many people climb it.”

The city needs funds for castle building maintenance and safety measures to prepare for earthquakes, but it wants to avoid increasing the burden on local residents who pay residential tax and regularly participate in cleaning volunteers.

The mayor proposed as one idea charging foreigners 30 dollars for entry and citizens 5 dollars. Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura of the neighboring prefecture of Osaka expressed support for the idea, and said, “It should also be done in Osaka Castle.”

Two-tier pricing systems are not uncommon in tourist attractions outside Japan. The Taj Mahal in India charges foreign tourists 22 times more than it does Indian visitors. Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza and Cambodia’s Angkor Wat also use two-tier charging.

In Japan, a seafood “izakaya” Japanese-style pub in Tokyo’s popular Shibuya district has introduced a system in which 1,100 yen is deducted from course prices if customers are confirmed to be Japanese or a resident of the country.

Meanwhile, a February survey by the operator of the “Ponta” reward point program found that about 40 pct of responding users opposed the introduction of a two-tier pricing system.

“Simply changing prices based on the classification of Japanese and foreign people could create discrimination and prejudice,” said Ryo Nishikawa, associate professor at Rikkyo University who is well-versed in tourism policies. Nishikawa stressed the need to provide services to foreign visitors that match the price difference, such as guided tours.

Miwako Date, president of real estate developer Mori Trust Co., pointed out that tourist facilities are supported by various tax revenues such as residential tax, and predicted that operators will adopt pricing systems in which “residents receive discounts and fees are waived for elementary school students from an educational standpoint.”

JIJI Press