- Image via Wikimedia Commons
With the aim to stimulate tourism in the country, Japan's Foreign Ministry is inviting popular bloggers and twitter users from around the world to visit areas devastated by the earthquake and tsumani which struck on March 2011.
According to the Mainichi Daily News, the ministry has invested 21.5 million yen (roughly $280,000 or €214,000) into the project. It hopes that foreign guests will write about the progress made in rebuilding the communities that were affected and to show an international audience that the area is still an attractive holiday destination.
The ministry aims to invite a total of ten guests to the country by the end of March. The first guest arrived in December with Spanish blogger Roger Ortuno Flamerich paying a visit. He was followed by Chicago food blogger Louisa Liu Chu and editor-in-chief of ikhanweb, Khaled Hamza arrived on January 31st. Two other guests, a Chilean university professor and a Chinese children's storywriter, will visit the country later this month.
The news comes after Japan recently considered the idea of offering 10,000 free flights to visitors who would then use blogs and social media to talk about their holiday. The idea was raised but rejected by the Japanese tourism board, who instead opted for a more targeted approach involving social media.
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