Japan begins collecting ¥1,000 departure tax to fund inbound tourism promotion plan

TOKYO: Japan on Monday started levying a 1,000 yen ($9.22) departure tax on each person leaving the country, a measure aimed at raising funds to further boost tourism.

The International Tourist Tax will cover everyone regardless of nationality — from business people to holidaymakers older than two years of age — and will be tacked on to the price of a airline ticket.

The government wants to use an estimated 50 billion yen ($460 million) it will generate in additional tax revenue to improve tourism infrastructure, such as making airport immigration processes faster and encouraging visitors to explore areas beyond traditionally popular destinations such as Tokyo and Kyoto.

Japan has been aggressively courting international tourists as a new pillar of economic growth.