"If the Accommodation Tax Becomes a General Tax, We Will Not Cooperate with Collection" - Okinawa Mayors and Hotel Operators Discuss Early Introduction of a Special Tax

On the 23rd, the Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau (OCVB) held a symposium in Ginowan City on the tourism tax (lodging tax) that the prefecture aims to introduce in fiscal year 2026. Mayors and accommodation businesses from five municipalities considering introducing the tax independently took to the stage. They called for early introduction and for it to be a special tax rather than a regular tax.