Photo= Kyoto City overseas information center representatives visit Gokonomiya Shrine (Fushimi Ward, Kyoto)

In order to share information about Kyoto worldwide, staff in charge of "Kyoto City overseas information centers," which have been established at 11 locations overseas, participated in an inspection tour in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, on May 31. The participants experienced the charm of sightseeing in Kyoto City as they traveled around breweries and shrines in Fushimi.

The city's overseas information centers are managed by Kyoto Convention Bureau and are responsible for activities including disseminating information related to Kyoto tourism and collecting information about overseas travel marketing. Since 2006, representative offices have been opened in top priority cities such as New York, Taipei, Seoul, and Paris. Currently, they have personnel in cities around the world, including ones in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, conducting PR campaigns.

There were approximately 20 participants, including the people in charge of each representative office, on the inspection tour. "City of Kyoto Visitors Hosts," who are interpretation specialists certified by Kyoto City, acted as guides. Participants visited Gokonomiya Shrine, brewing facilities, strolled around a shopping street, and also experienced cruising aboard a "Jikkoku-bune," or old-fashioned wooden boat. After worshipping at the main shrine of Gokonomiya Shrine, they savored the famed mineral water "Goko-sui," which comes from a spring in the precincts. Inge Leibmann, who is in charge of Kyoto's PR campaigns in Germany, said, "Walking through the shrine and shopping streets, I could feel the real life of Kyoto. I liked it very much."

Prior to the inspection tour, the staff in charge of each city spoke at an explanatory meeting about the overseas market on May 30. Approximately 100 people attended.