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The Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau (YCVB) says that the Muslim Tourist Information site within the English version of the official Yokohama Visitors' Guide website is gaining favorable responses from Muslims in Southeast Asia.
The Muslim Tourist Information website was set up in December 2013 to enable Muslims to enjoy their tour and stay in Yokohama without worries despite differences in culture and practices. It introduces places such as tourist facilities, restaurants, halal shops and mosques based on recommendations by Muslims living in Yokohama.
In a questionnaire concerning this website conducted on Muslims in Southeast Asia, more than 90% said they find the information on "restaurants," "mosques," and "suggested itineraries" to be useful.
In 2013, the number of foreigners who visited Japan surpassed 10 million people. In response to the recent increase in tourists from other Asian countries, YCVB has highlighted the charms of Yokohama through its websites and brochures in the English, Chinese and Korean languages.
From 2013, YCVB reinforced its activities to attract tourists from Southeast Asia. It has been widely publicizing Yokohama as a sightseeing city through means such as setting up booths at tourism fairs in countries like Thailand and Malaysia as well as receiving media organization representatives from Southeast Asian countries to show them around Yokohama.
As part of efforts to attract Muslim tourists, YCVB has been working on ways to help Muslims feel more comfortable during their stay in Yokohama, including organizing a training session for people involved in tourism in the city on how to receive Muslim travelers and distributing brochures for Muslim travelers at tourist information centers.
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9 Comments
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JeffLee
Japan, where alcoholic sake is traditionally seen as a sacred elixir and the most popular food is pork-based ramen, must be a mind-blowing society to Muslims.
Anis Dali
why not
Alejandro S. Arashi
Japan would gain a lot from welcoming moslem tourists, and I have met a lot of moslem tourists who were fascinated enough to come back for another visit.
Jonathan Prin
Wrong way of doing things: you adapt when you go to another country. Does Japan want an invasion later? Then why not for Jews, christians, or...? Because religion should remain personal!
Selchuk Driss
Muslim or not, why make marketing based on religion?
JeffLee
Japan is a secular society, as are nearly all the other wealthy, technologically advanced and democratic societies in the world. It's something to be proud of.
Catering to groups of people based on their religion is at odds with the principles of secularism and should not be encouraged, particularly if the funding is from public sources.
Jimizo
I've got no time for any religion but I don't have a problem with this. As long as the locals are not being asked to change their behaviour to accommodate the beliefs of others, let people make money. That said, I honestly find it quite sad that people are carrying around the baggage of beliefs which doesn't allow them to sample the different things you find in another country. That's the joy of traveling for me.
kiicha
I think it's pretty cool that theyre doing this. Just shows that japanese people are considerate of other peoples beliefs.
I dont get some of the above comments. Invasion? Lol some people are so ignorant.
MyJT2014
When you travel to another country for whatever reasons you should respect that country culture and their way of life and try to blend in. Not knowing what to do or where to go or what to eat when you are on a holiday’s trip in a foreign country is part of the fun and the experience that you have will stay with you the rest of your life whether it is good experience or bad experience . What the point if everything is set out and planned the way it is in your country and your culture, you might as well stay home and be happy with what you got. I am sure the Muslim people don’t asked for this, and try not to be divisive when marketing your product. All tourist should be treated the same otherwise you are asking for troubles. Consider how many religious groups of tourist coming to Japan each year. You cannot give special treatment to one religious and not the other. Japan you are a lot smarter than this and don’t mix religions with vacations.