Regular readers of this blog know how completely obsessed my young daughter is with Hello Kitty. The popular fictional feline with the oversized face is a staple in our home. From shirts to pens, purses to sheets, pillows, sandals, stickers, sunglasses, hair pins, tote bags, duffels, backpacks, hats and banks, Japan’s No.1 export has invaded every inch of our living space and it looks as though she will be sticking around for a while.
Hello Kitty is known for winning over the hearts of girls my daughter’s age, but now her cuteness is being marketed to another sector of the population—tourists. Just a few hours ago Japan named the charming cat as its choice to represent the country in China and Hong Kong as a tourism ambassador.
She’s already wildly popular among kids and young women there, but Japanese officials want to build on Hello Kitty’s success to draw a steady flow of visitors into their country. Under the new “Visit Japan” campaign tourism officials say they are looking to attract 10 million overseas travelers each year.
Japan has already seen a steady increase of visitors since it began a massive marketing effort in 2003. Last year the number of foreign tourists traveling to Japan hit a record high of 8.35 million, up 60% from five years ago. Of the tourists descending upon the “Land of the Rising Sun” more than 16% hail from China and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the largest group of visitors is from South Korea.
According to Japanese officials, Hello Kitty makes history by becoming the first fictional character to hold the position of goodwill tourism ambassador. The demure feline joins the country’s other goodwill tourism ambassadors including, Japanese actress Yoshino Kimura and Japanese pop/rock duo Puffy AmiYumi.
For those of you unfamiliar with the kitschy cat she was introduced to the world in 1974 by the Japanese company Sanrio. Hello Kitty first appeared on a plastic coin purse, but in the years since her debut her image has become one of the most powerful brands in the world, adorning more than 50,000 products in 60 countries.
Ironically, according to her official profile on Sanrio’s website, Hello Kitty actually lives with her family in London. No word on how often she travels to Japan.
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