The Japanese city of Kyoto is taking drastic action to stem a tide of tourists by putting people off public transport.
Kyoto is a popular destination for travellers with sights such as the golden Kinkaku-ji temple, Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist temple and Gion entertainment neighbourhood drawing huge crowds.
But a rise in visitor numbers sparked by the post-Covid tourism boom has led city officials to stop selling one day bus passes and instead offer tickets for buses and subway services to ease traffic jams.
The city has also been encouraging people to use park-and-ride, by leaving their cars at designated lots instead of driving into Kyoto.
Its measures have been accompanied by a social media campaign, urging travellers to take up the alternative ways of entering Japan’s ancient capital.
Officials have also bumped up parking prices at tourism hotspots, such as Kiyomizu Temple and the Arashiyama district, according to The Japan Times.
At a car park near Kiyomizu Temple the price of a ticket rose from £8.50 (¥1,600) to £10.19 (¥1,920)t, the same publication reports.
The city is also trying to encourage visitors to leave their baggage behind, with storage services rising from four to 63 in an effort to make more space on Kyoto’s public transport network.
Before the pandemic, locals complained of tourist numbers and behaviour, with some visitors accused of being loud and disrespectful.
Yoshioka Kumiko, a manager at the Kyoto City Tourism Office, told Forbes magazine in October: “People did not understand our traditions, our customs. We needed to protect ourselves.”
In response to the concerns, Kyoto published a code of conduct for tourists, advising them how to behave in the city, which is on Japan’s main island, Honshu.
Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) recently reported just over 25 million visitors arrived in Japan in 2023, suggesting a swift recovery since the country reopened to tourists after the pandemic.
Kyoto is not alone in its attempts to keep a check on tourist numbers and behaviour, with other popular destinations, such as Bali and Amsterdam, making efforts to curb visitors.
