Public News
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Kyoto City: Utilizing a 100-Year-Old Kyomachiya as Lodging Facility and Company Housing
Since the 2020 fiscal year, the city of Kyoto has been implementing the "Kyomachiya Rental Model Project." This initiative involves leasing traditional Kyoto townhouses (Kyomachiya) from their owners and subleasing them to private businesses for renovation and use. The project aims to leverage private sector resources to preserve and utilize these historic buildings. Recently, a more than 100-year-old Kyomachiya in Shimogyo Ward has been selected as the third project under this model. It will be renovated and used as a combined lodging facility and company housing.
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JNTO Announcement: Record-High June with 3,135,600 Foreign Visitors to Japan
According to a JNTO announcement, the number of foreign visitors to Japan in June 2024 was 3,135,600, marking a 51.2% increase from the same month last year and an 8.9% increase compared to June 2019. This figure exceeds the 2,880,041 visitors in June 2019 by more than 250,000. Additionally, the cumulative number of foreign visitors in the first half of the year reached 17,777,200, surpassing the previous record high of the first half of 2019 by over one million.
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“Yakushima AI Chatbot” Trial Implementation Begins: New Age Travel Support for Domestic and International Tourists
The Yakushima Academy, a general incorporated association, is currently conducting a trial project for a new travel support tool, the "Yakushima AI Chatbot," as part of the "Model Project for Creating a Sustainable Cycle for Sustainable Tourism (Demonstration Project)" by the Tourism Agency. This chatbot incorporates feedback from local guides and tourists, adapting to and learning from tourists' questions and needs. The aim is to create a system nurtured by both tourists and locals, offering a satisfying travel experience through personalized information provision.