Nurture Lakeland, the officials in charge of conserving the Lake District, have imposed a £5 surcharge as of next week on all Japanese tourists visiting the area.
Every year, upwards of 35,000 Japanese tourists come to enjoy the fens of Oxenholme, visit Lake Windemere and, most of all, visit the birthplace of Peter Rabbit and friends. The home of Beatrix Potter, Hilltop Farm, is so enormously popular with the Japanese that a replica of the building is being built in Tokyo for those who cannot afford to see the real thing.
However, the massive influx of tourists is damaging the local area and jeopardizing the long-term survival of the industry. The £5 surcharge on visitors will be wholly put towards footpath repairs, dry-stone walling and wildlife conservation. However, it is causing some consternation as only tours booked through Japanese operators will be singled out for the fee. Local business owners, including B&B owner Andrew Dobson, feel that the surcharge is unfair as trips often cost a lot of money for Japanese tourists as it is and that it penalizes some of their best customers.
Mr. Broughton of the Nurture Lakeland and Lake District's Japan Forum committee stated that the surcharge would be a voluntary fee, and although aimed specifically at Japanese nationals, it would be run on an opt-out scheme so no individual would be obligated to pay. Junko Ishiwata, a tour guide in the Lakes said, "As a nation the Japanese love nature and I don't think my countrymen will object to the £5 charge."
-Original Article by Stephen Adams, The Daily Telegraph, Friday April 30th 2010-