Wakayama - Shirahama, one of the Kansai region's leading tourist destinations, has approved the introduction of an accommodation tax, becoming the third municipality in the region after Osaka Prefecture and Kyoto City to adopt such a measure.
Under a new ordinance approved by the Shirahama Town Assembly on June 16, guests staying at hotels and other lodging facilities in the town will be charged an accommodation tax ranging from 200 yen to 1,000 yen per person per night, depending on the cost of their stay. Children under the age of 12 and students on school excursions will be exempt from the tax.
The town government has been considering the measure as a way to secure a stable source of funding for tourism promotion while addressing concerns over declining tax revenues caused by a shrinking population.
According to town officials, the accommodation tax is expected to generate approximately 650 million yen in additional annual revenue. Following approval from the national government and completion of other required procedures, Shirahama aims to begin collecting the tax from March next year.
Source: YOMIURI
