The city of Kyoto, visited by over 50 million tourists a year, is
boosting efforts to attract wealthy foreign travelers by offering
cultural workshops to satisfy their appetite for a deeper engagement
with their destinations.
With visitors already at record-high levels, the ancient Japanese
capital is shifting focus from quantity to quality in its tourism
promotion, targeting the higher spending associated with high-end
tourism, especially by foreigners.
According to the city, Japanese travelers, excluding those who made
day trips, in 2016 spent about 47,000 yen ($420) per person, about half
the 100,000 yen spent by foreign tourists.
"We would like to revitalize our traditional industries and the local
economy" by winning the hearts of wealthy foreign travelers, said a
city official.
.
.
As part of such efforts, the city, in partnership with the city of
Kanazawa, another major Japanese tourist destination, organized a study
tour for American travel agents selling trips to rich customers in
November.
In Kyoto, two women were introduced to cultural programs such as
putting on kimono at a kimono rental shop, visiting a sake brewery and
experiencing a tea ceremony. The city hopes the pair will organize
travel plans based on their experiences in Kyoto.
.
.
"Wealthy tourists have a strong intellectual appetite. They want to
experience unique traditional culture in their destinations by directly
communicating with local experts," said Takeshi Tanaka, an
interpreter-guide authorized by the city.
Some Buddhist temples in the city have started offering meditation
classes in English for a small number of people and more craft centers
are giving workshops in which visitors can produce Japanese folding fans
and pottery while talking with artisans. These places have proved
popular among wealthy foreign travelers, Tanaka said.
The city also set up an organization with other Japanese localities including Sapporo, Nara and Ishikawa Prefecture in April 2016 to jointly attract wealthy foreign tourists.
"In the past, tourism promotion was done by each region in Japan and lacked an attitude to promote the whole of Japan. We will work together to bring more foreign travelers by combining the attractiveness of each destination," a Kyoto city official said.
The city also set up an organization with other Japanese localities including Sapporo, Nara and Ishikawa Prefecture in April 2016 to jointly attract wealthy foreign tourists.
"In the past, tourism promotion was done by each region in Japan and lacked an attitude to promote the whole of Japan. We will work together to bring more foreign travelers by combining the attractiveness of each destination," a Kyoto city official said.
.
Source - TheJakartaPost
