Saturday, 29 March 2014

Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau ramping up support for Muslim travellers

Source: YCVB website
The Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau (YCVB) announced on March 28 that the Muslim Tourist Information site within the English version of the official Yokohama Visitors' Guide website is getting noticed from Muslims in Southeast Asia.

The Muslim Tourist Information website was set up in December 2013 to introduce 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.


YCVB has focused on attracting tourists from Southeast Asia from 2013, setting up booths at tourism fairs in countries like Thailand and Malaysia as well as receiving media organisation representatives from Southeast Asian countries to show them around Yokohama.

As part of its efforts to welcoming Muslim tourists, YCVB has been working on ways to help Muslims feel more comfortable during their stay in Yokohama, including organising training for tourism-related businesses on how to receive Muslim travellers and distributing brochures for Muslim travellers at tourist information centres.

Yokohama is Japan's second biggest city after Tokyo, located near the capital with a population of 3.7 million. The city has an eye on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as it works to increase its tourism infrastructure for visitors.