Quantity to quality: Tourism on Japan's Sado Island shifts focus

NIIGATA, Japan-- Tourism officials on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan are shifting their focus from quantity to quality. The island, part of Niigata Prefecture, is expected to attract more visitors, as a local gold mine is likely to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage list next year.

But Sado has seen tourist accommodations close down over the years as the business fell on hard times. The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a further blow. Seasonal fluctuations in visitor numbers make opening a new hotel or inn a risky proposition. And officials are chastened by memories of "overtourism," a sudden influx of travelers that caused the quality of services to fall. So they are turning their attention to improving those services as a first step to reviving the industry.