Amid rising hopes for economic growth, Japan's tourism boom has exposed the need for regional authorities to develop infrastructure and help secure the manpower needed to deal with the influx of foreign tourists.
Miyakojima in Okinawa is one of those struggling tourist destinations. As a growing number of cruise ships arrive from abroad, the island's government and business circles are struggling to address such issues as the limited capacity of its port and the lack of taxi drivers.
Miyakojima received 85 port calls from cruise ships in the first seven months of fiscal 2016 starting in April, well above the 14 logged the previous year. The passenger tally meanwhile surged to a record of 123,578 in the same period, eclipsing the 11,023 logged the previous year, according to authorities in Hirara port.
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