Hello Kitty, Hello Japan's tourism ambassador
TOKYO (AP) - May 19, 2008 Now the moonfaced feline can add "government envoy" to the
list.
Japan's tourism ministry on Monday named Hello Kitty as its
choice to represent the country in China and Hong Kong, two places
where she is wildly popular among kids and young women.
Officials hope tapping into that fan base will lead to a bigger
flow of tourists into Japan and push the country closer to the goal
of attracting 10 million overseas visitors every year under the
"Visit Japan" campaign.
Last year the number of foreign tourists traveling to Japan hit
a record high of 8.35 million, up 60 percent since the government
began the marketing effort in 2003.
Arrivals from China and Hong Kong, who accounted for 16.5
percent of visitors to Japan last year, are poised this year to
become the second-largest group of tourists after South Koreans.
At a press conference, Sanrio Co. President Shintaro Tsuji,
whose company created the toy cat, called Hello Kitty's new
appointment "an honor" and pledged the feline would "work hard
to attract many visitors."
Japan's other goodwill tourism ambassadors include Korean singer
Younha, Japanese actress Yoshino Kimura and Japanese pop/rock duo
Puffy AmiYumi.
Although this is the first time the tourism ministry has tapped
a fictional character for the role, the foreign ministry in March
inaugurated blue robo-cat Doraemon as Japan's "anime ambassador."
Designed in 1974 by Sanrio, Hello Kitty first appeared on a
plastic coin purse. Her image today has become one of the most
powerful brands in the world, adorning some 50,000 products in 60
countries.
Hello Kitty - one of mascot-obsessed Japan's biggest hits as a
toy character - is often seen on lunch boxes, jewelry and many
other accessories.
In China, Kitty-fever has already broken out.
A multi-million-dollar musical featuring Hello Kitty opened
earlier this year in Beijing and is in the midst of a national
tour. "Hello Kitty's Dream Light Fantasy" is then scheduled to
travel to Malaysia, Singapore and the United States over its
three-year run.