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| Walkers on the 11th trail of "Jeju Olle" can see large fields in front of them, Mt. Sambang in the middle, and snow-capped Mt. Halla as a background. / Courtesy of Jeju Olle |
By Woo Ji-won
Jeju Island plans to introduce a so-called "environmental tax" on tourists, claiming they must share responsibility for pollution there.
The resort island's authorities said Monday that the Korean Association for Local Finance would conduct a study before September to check the feasibility of such a tax.
The study will suggest whether it would be pertinent to impose the tax, and if so, how much. The result will be released as early as in April.
In January, a civic group founded by the provincial council members and experts to conserve the island's natural values and improve its tourism culture first recommended such a tax through the island's administrative authority.
Because the number of tourists visiting the island has increased significantly, the island is suffering ongoing environmental damage and costs resulting from this. The suggestion led to a heated debate about whether visitors should bear environmental conservation costs.
The island authorities insisted that tourists had supported the idea of contributing to the island's environmental conservation.
In a survey that was part of Jeju Research Institute's "Realization of Public Tourism Destinations Fee"report last year, almost 70 percent of 307 tourist respondents supported the idea.
However, such a tax is unlikely to be introduced anytime soon because it could violate constitutional laws.
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