| Gwangchigi Beach in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, is littered with trash in this August 2022 photo. Newsis |
By Ko Dong-hwan
Jeju Island is considering legislation that would require visitors to pay tourism fees to support environmental sustainability.
The fees will include 1,500 won ($1) per night for tourists, 5,000 won per day for those renting a car ― 10,000 won for a minivan ― and five percent of the fee for renting a bus, according to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. It said each visitor will be charged an average of 8,170 won per day.
The authority said Sunday that the measure now under consideration, if submitted and passed at the National Assembly, will bring about 141 billion won to the government coffer after the first year. The figure will increase to 154 billion won by the second year and 167 billion won the next year, the authority forecasted.
The country's popular tourism destination has long been considering these measures since locals raised concerns about the side effects of booming tourism, including garbage and sewage increasing beyond the island's management capacity. The island government tried to introduce the entry fee in 2012 but was thwarted by objectors.
The government last August requested the Korea Environment Institute, a state-run research company, to study the feasibility of the entry fee for the island. With the research to be completed by August, the government plans to propose the bill to the National Assembly within this year.
Rep. Wi Seong-gon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea who represents Jeju Island's Seogwipo City, submitted revisions last December to the Special Act on the Establishment of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Framework Act on the Management of Charges to introduce the entry fee. The proposal has been pending since.
Jeju Governor Oh Young-hun said at the provincial council on Thursday that the introduction of the measure is “being very carefully planned” so that it can draw citizen support from across the country.
He said the process is “not going to be entirely a pretty picture” and “by no means easy.” He added he is keenly monitoring reactions from the central government, the National Assembly, private businesses and news outlets as to the measure.
The provincial council has been discussing ways to preserve the island's ecological diversity and manage the increase in waste, both resulting from increasing visits by tourists from around the world all year round. The council is working on revising three relevant laws to equip the island with a larger budget and stronger laws against the growing responsibility to cater to visitors.
Jeju's move comes as Hawaii lawmakers are mulling charging tourists a “visitor impact fee” to alleviate the effects of overcrowding and to help restore the environment.