The new 'empty tourism' campaign encourages travellers to visit Kyoto right away showing the city remains totally safe and more attractive than ever after the usual hordes of visitors abandoned its streets once brimming with temples and shrines – and tourists.
The initiative was brought forward by the merchants from five popular shopping streets in the city’s Arashiyama neighborhood. Called the 'Suitemasu Arashiyama', or 'Empty Arashiyama', the campaign aims to show that there have never been a better time for visiting the district – more beautiful and welcoming than ever.
The campaign promotes the idea of a rare chance to see all the most renowned and once overcrowded destinations in their natural glory.
Home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites, Kyoto used to welcome thousands of visitors on a daily bases. Arashiyama, one of the city's most popular tourist districts have since long forgotten what its empty streets look like. To lure tourists back, the district's tourism website states that shopkeepers are waiting and all geared up to welcome visitors "with even more hospitality than usual." All in all, it is the time to visit.
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Kyoto Promotes Rare Chance to See City without Crowd
News in Asia
The Japanese city of Kyoto has launched an unusual campaign trying to bring back tourists to the historical street of the city which now feel empty and deserted after the flow of visitors decreased dramatically over the fears of coronavirus.