A survey of 36 major Kyoto city hotels showed that foreigners accounted for 40.5 percent of their total guests in 2017, the highest figure recorded since the survey began in 2014.

The survey was conducted by the Kyoto City Tourism Association and released on Feb. 28.

Visitors from mainland China to the hotels accounted for the largest share, 23.9 percent, of total foreign guests. They were followed by guests from Taiwan (18 percent of the total), the United States (12.5 percent), South Korea (5 percent) and Hong Kong (4.7 percent).

Total occupancy rate for the hotels in 2017 was 88.8 percent. The busiest months were the cherry blossom viewing season in April, when the occupancy rate reached 94.6 percent, and the latter half of November, at 94.1 percent when the autumn colors were at their peak. The slowest period of the year was early January, when the occupancy rate dropped to 71.4 percent.

The percentage of mainland Chinese visitors peaked in August. The percentage of Taiwanese and South Korean guests peaked in February, while the percentage of Hong Kong visitors peaked in July. For Americans, June was the peak month.

With the exception of January, February, December, the second half of June and the second half of July, the monthly occupancy rate was 90 percent or above. The survey did not include many recently opened smaller boutique hotels or minpaku (private lodging) facilities.

The 40.5 percent figure for foreign guests is a 3.2 percentage point rise over the comparable figure for 2016. Kyoto city attributes it to an increase in the number of budget airline flights between Kansai airport and other cities, especially in Asia.

The figures for 2017 come as Kyoto city prepares to enact a new lodging tax later this year. From Oct. 1, Japanese and foreign guests will have to pay an extra ¥200 per person per night when staying in a facility that charges under ¥20,000/night.

The tax rate will go up to ¥500/night at places that charge between ¥20,000 and ¥50,000/night. The nightly charge on hotels and ryokan traditional inns that charge over ¥50,000/night will be ¥1,000 per person per night. There are some exceptions for those on official school trips.

Kyoto city predicts the new tax will bring in an extra ¥4.6 billion in annual revenue and is needed to improve the tourism infrastructure — especially roads, which are often clogged with tour buses and taxis.

“There is an urgent need to ease traffic congestion, and the introduction of the new tax is an effort to raise the satisfaction level of those who live in Kyoto and those who visit,” said Kyoto mayor Daisaku Kadokawa in January.

KEYWORDS Kyoto, tourism, records, minpaku