Japan has introduced a tourism tax for Mount Fuji, charging visitors between $12 and $16 after complaints of overcrowding and pollution began to rise.
This new idea has prompted some in Canada to wonder if our own tourist destinations like Niagara Falls and the Bay of Fundy could be potential options for our own tourism tax.
Dalhousie University professor Lorn Sheehan specializes in tourism destination management, and says the foundation of the tourism industry is to attract visitors and create a memorable experience.
“Tourists want that experience to be as good as it can be,” Sheehan said, adding that a tourism tax has become more common in the industry worldwide. “The concept is that tourists really need to pay for the price of their experience. In some destinations … there may be too many tourists.”
Sheehan said Canadian destinations like Niagara Falls and the Bay of Fundy could be candidates for a tourism tax, based on the large numbers of people who could bring a negative impact, both socially and environmentally.
“What they pay for that experience has not been enough to offset what the community, the region and maybe the country can bear,” Sheehan said.
Halifax tourism operator Dennis Campbell said Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia is a prime example of a destination that could benefit from a tourism tax, applied only to visitors.
“There are about 750,000 visitors to Peggy’s Cove every year and they don’t charge for parking,” Campbell said. “It is a small community of about 29 people who are inconvenienced with all those people on those busy days. If the community were to start to charge two dollars per person, that money could go back to the community.”
Samantha Leon is a tourist visiting Halifax.
“In my home state of Colorado, a lot of our popular hiking areas were being overrun,” Leon said. “We love that people want to enjoy the things that we enjoy, but we sometimes can’t handle the amount of people.”
Leon also said she would not mind paying a tourism tax if she knew where the money goes directly back to the communities.
The two people who died in a major fire in Old Montreal on Friday were a mother and her seven-year-old daughter, sources told Noovo Info.
Tropical Storm Milton has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. It is located 220 miles (355 kilometres) north-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico.
The sentencing of the man who pleaded guilty in the deadly hit-and-run in Kitsilano two years ago began on Friday.
New data raises questions about the drinks people consume and the potential risks associated with them, according to researchers at Galway University in Ireland, in partnership with Hamilton’s McMaster University.
A 30-year-old northwestern Ontario woman has been charged with arson following a structure fire Thursday night, police say.
Ontario Provincial Police have laid stunt charges against a driver caught speeding 75 km/h over the speed limit on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end.
Travelling on a budget can be stressful, but there are ways you can ensure you're getting the best deal on flights as the holiday season approaches.
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
Being an armchair detective has turned into an American obsession, fueled by an abundance of true-crime content in podcasts and television series. But some of those projects have sparked actual legal developments.
Fire crews battled a massive blaze in downtown Langley Saturday morning.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
The man suspected of murdering another man inside a Mackenzie, B.C., home last weekend has been arrested.
A Toronto police officer has been arrested after allegedly stealing three bottles of alcohol from a store.
Two pedestrians have been taken to hospital with serious injuries after an early-morning collision in Vaughan.
Toronto’s annual Nuit Blanche is back and with it come road closures.
An investigation is underway into what caused a vehicle rollover Saturday in the area of Plummers Road and Priddis Valley Road.
A pedestrian is in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle in southeast Calgary on Friday night.
Lethbridge police executed dozens of warrants and laid numerous charges in another targeted enforcement project in the downtown area.
Environment Canada has issued a frost advisory as temperatures across Ottawa and eastern Ontario are expected to dip near the freezing mark this evening.
Fair season continues in the Ottawa area, the Ottawa 67's and Senators play on home ice, Carleton University and the University of Ottawa meet in the Panda Game and a former Backstreet Boy is in town.
New data shows the automated speed enforcement camera on King Edward Avenue, between Bolton Street and St. Patrick Street, issued 6,337 speeding tickets in August, the highest number of tickets issued by Ottawa's 40 photo radar cameras.
The two people who died in a major fire in Old Montreal on Friday were a mother and her seven-year-old daughter, sources told Noovo Info.
Montreal police say they are increasing their presence across the city ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Montreal police say a business in the city's Pointe-Saint-Charles neighbourhood was hit with Molotov cocktails two nights in a row.
An estimated four billion birds will navigate man-made environments as they travel south from North America during fall migration. Tens of million of them will die en route due to human-created hazards.
A 79-year-old woman is dead after the vehicle she was driving crashed into an east Edmonton building late Friday afternoon.
Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jack Campbell has entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
A riding in southwest New Brunswick that for decades was a Progressive Conservative stronghold is shaping up to be a bellwether that could offer a window into the future of the Tory party, and maybe of the province.
Tropical Storm Milton has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. It is located 220 miles (355 kilometres) north-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico.
Nova Scotia author Allison Maher made the jump from young adult (YA) to adult fiction with her most recent novel, “The Last of the Firsts” and the response from readers has been a surprise for the writer.
It’s 1998. Google was just born, and dial-up was the primary way to connect to the Internet. New sites were being developed daily on any number of topics, from recipes to shopping. David Yanciw, however, was thinking big - big things, that is.
A two-storey house that was under construction was the scene of a Saturday morning fire in Winnipeg’s Glenwood neighbourhood.
Highway 12 has been reopened following a single motor vehicle collision Saturday morning in the RM of Brokenhead, Man.
A wind warning has been issued for parts of southern Saskatchewan, with gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour (km/h) possible in some areas on Saturday, Environment and Climate Change Canada says.
Regina police are investigating after guns were fired at two homes last week, with one home being shot at on multiple occasions.
A permanent memorial at the site of the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash is about to be a step closer.
The Huron Ontario Provincial Police said they responded to a “downed airplane” just after 11 a.m. Saturday.
Police say they were called to the area of Simcoe Street and Market Street around 1:30 a.m. Saturday for a report of an assault.
The Oktoberfest Parade is fast approaching and organizers are urgently seeking volunteers to fill the role of sign carriers.
A permanent memorial at the site of the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash is about to be a step closer.
The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation hosted a virtual election forum on education Thursday evening, giving candidates in the provincial election a chance to share their thoughts and answer questions on issues teachers find most important.
A Saskatchewan man living in the United States has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography after he unknowingly provided disturbing videos to an FBI agent he thought was a pedophile.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The former Hedley frontman had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.
The two people who died in a major fire in Old Montreal on Friday were a mother and her seven-year-old daughter, sources told Noovo Info.
Being an armchair detective has turned into an American obsession, fueled by an abundance of true-crime content in podcasts and television series. But some of those projects have sparked actual legal developments.
Huron OPP say they were on the scene of a plane crash this morning, with a pilot finding themselves unable to halt before the end of a runway in Brussels.
The St. Thomas Panthers organization held ‘Panther Day’ focusing on recognizing IIAF World Girls Hockey weekend.
Canadians who are eligible for a GST/HST tax credit can expect their final payment of the year on Friday.
Three people from Simcoe County face charges in relation to a drug trafficking investigation that police say resulted in the seizure of several weapons, drugs and thousands of dollars worth of stolen property.
The Southern Georgian Bay OPP Detachment is investigating several impaired driving incidents that occurred over the past week, including two that led to drug busts.
A man is facing multiple charges after reportedly threatening to harm staff members at an Orillia business Friday afternoon.
The municipality issued a stern reminder for code violators, as both were fined following a warning issued by Leamington Fire Services.
According to police, the suspect entered and vandalized the property in the 700 block of Grand Marais Road Easton on September 28.
Travelling on a budget can be stressful, but there are ways you can ensure you're getting the best deal on flights as the holiday season approaches.
The leaders of both British Columbia's provincial Conservatives and New Democrats are in the Okanagan campaigning today.
We haven't heard the candidates talk much about education during B.C.'s 2024 election campaign, but the teachers' union is trying to put the spotlight on that issue.
The body of a British Columbia mountain climber has been located and recovered after the 39-year-old man was reported missing during a solo climb on Washington state's Mount Baker earlier this week.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
The leaders of both British Columbia's provincial Conservatives and New Democrats are in the Okanagan campaigning today.
Three young suspects have been arrested in connection with a swarming attack on a teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan last week – and authorities have asked the public to stop circulating disturbing videos of the incident.
Lethbridge police executed dozens of warrants and laid numerous charges in another targeted enforcement project in the downtown area.
A person was airlifted to hospital following a serious crash in Taber, Alta., on Friday morning. Taber RCMP responded to the scene on Highway 864 around 10:30 a.m., for a crash involving an SUV and a semi-truck.
To enhance inclusivity at Lethbridge Polytechnic, the institution has launched a new accessibility micro-credential.
Two teens, ages 14 and 19, have been charged with arson in connection with a July 14 fire in Cat Lake First Nation that destroyed $500,000 in construction materials.
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
A suspect who accused Thunder Bay police of being responsible for his throat injury actually hurt himself when he swallowed a large amount of drugs.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people’s basic human right to food.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.
From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.
A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.
The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.
A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.
Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north
What does New Westminster's təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.
The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.
New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeatedly reiterated calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East on Saturday as he blamed Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel for a staggering number of civilian deaths.
While America's southern border remains a hot button issue on the campaign trail, the result of the U.S. election in November could also impact the northern frontier with Canada, which remains the longest undefended border in the world.
NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.
Bruzzese came down with COVID-19 in February 2023, and received her injection at the end of March. “Being able to recognize smells is something we take for granted, until you can’t.”
New data raises questions about the drinks people consume and the potential risks associated with them, according to researchers at Galway University in Ireland, in partnership with Hamilton’s McMaster University.
Convenience store firms that operate thousands of outlets across Canada are taking the federal government to court to overturn regulations that restrict the sale of nicotine pouches to pharmacies.
Scientists announced on Thursday a milestone in neurobiological research with the mapping of the entire brain of an adult fruit fly, a feat that may provide insight into brains across the animal kingdom, including people.
For humans, flashing a smile is an easy way to avoid misunderstanding. And, according to a new study, bottlenose dolphins may use a similar tactic while playing with each other.
Alphabet's Google is testing showing check marks next to certain companies on its search results, a company spokesperson said on Friday, in a move aimed at helping users identify verified sources and steer clear of fake websites.
Hollywood star Keanu Reeves made his professional auto racing debut on Saturday in an event in which 'The Matrix' star spun out at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
You might be thinking, 'Shut up!' but it’s officially true: the 'Princess Diaries' franchise is finally growing.
Legendary singer Paul Simon has said he is 'optimistic' about being able to return to performing live after losing most of his hearing in his left ear.
Dubai's Emirates airline has banned pagers and walkie-talkies from its planes, following last month's attacks on such devices carried by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
TikToks of customers stuffing their faces with a US$20 endless shrimp. More than 100 restaurant closures and thousands of layoffs. A revolving door of CEOs. Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Brazil's Supreme Court said on Friday that lawyers representing social media platform X did not pay pending fines to the right bank, postponing its decision on whether to allow the tech firm to resume services in Brazil.
Travelling on a budget can be stressful, but there are ways you can ensure you're getting the best deal on flights as the holiday season approaches.
A five-seat sushi counter located inside another restaurant is the latest Vancouver eatery to receive a Michelin star.
Toilet paper shortages in stores across America are giving folks nightmarish reminders of the pandemic era. But the lack of toilet paper isn’t a direct result of a major port strike Tuesday. It’s because of panic buying.
The loss that extinguished the Calgary Stampeders playoff dreams Friday provided some deja vu for head coach Dave Dickenson.
According to the Canadian Women & Sport's 2022 Rally Report, 76 per cent of girls who participate in sports believe it helps build confidence and enhances their mental health. While those benefits are important for all children, the organization's CEO says, right now, girls have less access.
Paul Pogba has had his four-year ban for doping reduced to 18 months after appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Tesla is recalling more than 27,000 Cybertrucks because the rearview camera image may not activate immediately after shifting into reverse, the fifth recall for the vehicle since it went on sale late last year.
A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been 'over-revving' the engine.
A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.
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