The last paradise "Iriomote Island" restricts the number of people who can enter 5 places on the island Starting on March 1 - Environmental conservation on the island spun by residents
On Iriomote Island (Taketomi Town) in the Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, from Saturday, March 1, 2025, five fields on the island will be designated as "Specified Natural Tourism Resources" that require special protection, and an upper limit will be set on the number of people who can enter the island per day.
The target area is " Hinai River (Pinaysara Falls) 」、「 Nishida River (Sangara Falls) 」、「 Mt. Furumi 」、「 The headwaters of the Urauchi River (Mayagusuk Waterfall and Crossing Road) 」、「 Mount Tedou 5 places.
The limit on the number of people who can enter the Ministry of the Environment is under the jurisdiction of the " Ecotourism Promotion Act It was formulated on the basis of. Taketomi Town, which operates the facility, aims to protect the precious natural environment and raise environmental awareness among tourists and tourist guides to realize sustainable tourism.
Approximately 300,000 tourists visit Iriomote Island annually (Iriomote Island Tourism Management Plan 2023), and about 80% of them are in the Nature Experience Zone. However, in popular areas, tourists are concentrated at certain times, and environmental destruction such as the collapse of nature trails and the wear of rocks due to footprints is progressing. In 2021, there were some strange events, such as the discovery of graffiti on trees, rocks, and billboards on mountain trails, including graffiti, the name of the synthetic drug "MDMA."
In response to these circumstances, in December 2022, Taketomi Town formulated the "Overall Concept for the Promotion of Ecotourism" and began managing the entire island of Iriomote by dividing it into the "Nature Experience Zone," an area for tourists, the "Protection Zone," an off-limits area including World Heritage areas, and the "General Use Zone," a village and living area. It has been announced that five fields that require special protection will be designated as "Specified Natural Tourism Resources" from March 2025 and that the number of visitors per day will be capped.
■ 5 eligible fields and the number of people allowed to enter per day
- "Hinai River (Pinaysara Falls)": 200 people
- "Nishida River (Sangara Falls)": 100 people
- "Mt. Furumi": 30 people
- "Urauchi River headwaters (Magsuku Falls, Crossing Road)": 50 people
- "Mount Tedou": 30 people
This time, in addition to the limit on the number of people, it is mandatory to apply in advance to Taketomi Town and pay a fee in order to enter these areas. In addition, it is mandatory to accompany a registered chaperone guide or take a pre-training course. It takes about 1 hour per field, and the implementation date is the day before the scheduled entry date.
- "Hinai River (Pinaysara Falls)": 500 yen
- "Nishida River (Sangara Falls)": 500 yen
- "Mt. Furumi", "Urauchi River Headwaters (Magsuku Waterfall and Crossing)", "Mt. Tedo"
・ If accompanied by a registered chaperone: 500 yen
・ For taking the course: 1,000 yen
■ Iriomote Island tourism and guide business operator
Since the 2010s, when the number of tourists began to increase on Iriomote Island, environmental destruction and safety problems during tours involving unscrupulous guide operators have been regarded as problems, and local residents have begun to call for improvements.
Furthermore, in 2018, when the registration of the "World Natural Heritage Site" was postponed in response to a survey by an international natural organization, the quality of guide operators emerged as an issue in the background. On Iriomote Island, it was recognized that the existence of guide operators is an important factor in talking about the development and challenges of tourism.
In addition, about 1% of the tourist guides active on Iriomote Island are from the island, and at present, most of them are immigrants from outside the island and outside the prefecture, and it is said that about 1 in 6 workers on the island are involved in guide work.
In order to address the problem of guide operators, Taketomi Town has introduced two ordinances. First of all, in April 2020, " Taketomi Town Tourist Guide Ordinance Tourist guides were named tourist guides, and a license system was started. In addition, in 2022, an ordinance was established to limit the number of visitors that one tourist guide can guide in a day to a maximum of 8 people, and a maximum of 16 people per business operator (*).
From March 2025, in accordance with the implementation of the limit on the number of people for "Specified Natural Tourism Resources", tourist guides with certain skills will be certified as "registered chaperone guides" by the mayor of Taketomi Town (41 businesses as of January 23) and will be allowed to perform guide work in the target field. In addition, the fields that can be handled differ depending on the registration guide guide, and details can be confirmed on the "Iriomote Island Ecotourism Official Website".
< * Is the limit on the number of guides unconstitutional? A major guide company sues the town>
In February 2024, NASH Co., Ltd., a major tour company operating on Iriomote Island, filed a lawsuit in the Naha District Court, claiming that the restriction on the number of tourist guides is "unconstitutional." "The purpose of the ordinance is to protect small businesses, and annual sales from about 174 million yen in 2022 will plummet to about 8.7 million yen, making it impossible to continue business and employment," the company said. Assertions Have.
In addition, on the company's recruitment page, "I want to live near nature once! It is introduced that many of the staff members are starting with no experience.
■ How to apply for access to the five fields
Access to the five fields designated as Specified Natural Tourism Resources is available on the official website of Iriomote Island Ecotourism. Specified form Apply in advance from. First, select the desired fields and conditions, check the availability on the calendar, and submit the applicant information to complete the provisional application. After that, based on the content of your application, you will receive an email about the registration guide and the course.
1. Accompaniment of the registered chaperone guide
Registration fee: The fee for accompanying a guide may be included in the guide fee or may be paid by the applicant himself. One of them needs to be confirmed by the requesting guide, but if the applicant pays directly, the applicant will receive an email regarding the payment of the fee after the guide submits the applicant's application.
2. Attendance at the seminar
If you are taking a course, you will receive an email regarding payment after scheduling. By paying the fee, the application will be completed.
3. On the day of entry
On the day of entry into the field, you will check in with the QR code posted near the entrance. If accompanied by a guide, the guide will check in for the applicant on behalf of the applicant, but the course participants will check in on their own.
Application system operation and workshops Iriomote Foundation is in charge. Patrols are also carried out to make sure that tourist guides and tourists are following the rules. In addition, it is expected that the rules are followed by mutual checks between tourist guides on the field.
Regarding this initiative, the Taketomi Town Nature Tourism Division says, "This initiative will be a turning point in thinking about the nature experience-based tourism. We would like to ask for the cooperation of travelers in order to connect the beautiful nature of Iriomote Island to the future."
■Environmental conservation spun by the voices of residents: Between World Heritage registration
Iriomote Island is the second largest island after the main island of Okinawa, with villages scattered along the coast with a circumference of about 130 km, and about 2,400 residents live there. Many rivers flow through the island, and the "Nakama River" in the east and the "Urauchi River" in the west are covered with vast mangrove forests, which are called the "Galapagos of the East" because of their unique ecosystem.
Iriomote Island was designated as "Iriomote National Park" when Okinawa returned to the mainland on May 15, 1972, and was later renamed "Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park" in 2007. After the postponement of heritage registration in 2018, in July 2021, it was registered as a "World Natural Heritage Site" along with Amami Oshima, Tokunoshima, and the northern part of Okinawa Island under the criteria of "biodiversity".
According to a survey of residents conducted by Okinawa Prefecture just before the World Heritage Site registration, 41% of the residents of Iriomote Island had a negative opinion about the registration, far exceeding the 28% who were in favor. Local residents expressed concern about the impact on the natural environment and living environment due to the increase in tourists, which had been regarded as a problem since the 2010s.
On the other hand, activities for World Heritage registration were promoted in collaboration with organizations, companies, and experts inside and outside the prefecture, and it was registered in July 2021. Taketomi Town established the "World Heritage Promotion Office" and played a role in promoting registration while providing information and briefing sessions to the islanders. After that, Taketomi Town will strive to strengthen tourism management by utilizing the resources for environmental conservation obtained through the World Heritage registration and cooperation with related organizations.
It can be said that Iriomote Island's licensing system for tourist guides, the setting of an upper limit on the number of guides, and the regulations on specific natural tourism resources that will come into effect in March this year are the result of the strong desire to protect the environment of Iriomote Island, which local residents have been raising their voices for since the 2010s.
