Why is the Tourism Information Center some of the top tourist attractions in Asia
Many travelers associate tourist information centers with maps and help find nearby public bathrooms.
But Tammy Mermelstein’s visit to the tourist information booth was some of the highlights of her recent holiday in Japan.
The Houston-based mom spent more than a year planning her family’s three-week trip to Japan. Although she brought some special souvenirs—such as fragments of kimono found at flea markets and turned into wall art, she likes to show off her stamp books collected from the Traveler Information Center and other tourist attractions across the country.
In some parts of Europe, tourist information stalls are a thing of the past.
Paris said the last remaining tourist information center next to the Eiffel Tower in January. Scotland announced that all of this will be closed by the end of 2025.
Tourism officials at both destinations have cited social media and used smartphones extensively, which is the reason for the physical office being closed. Both travel corpses have turned to the “digital first” model, shifting focus to Instagram and Tiktok, and setting up a dedicated WhatsApp channel for travelers with specific issues.
But while some industry insiders have written obsessed for in-person travel support centers, destinations across Asia are actually increasing the number of traveler help desks.
Xi Jinping, director of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Asia’s tourism information centers have flourished due to the different mentality of travelers in the region.
“Asian tourists often value structured guidance and interpersonal interpretation,” he told CNN Travel. “Many of these travelers have low experience in international travel and have language barriers, having face-to-face interactions with them and helping them particularly importantly.
“In contrast, European tourists are more accustomed to self-introduction experiences, often using a variety of online and offline tools, including applications and printed materials.”
In 2015, there were about 300 tourist information centers in South Korea. Now, there are 638.
These “mobile tourist information centers” are dressed in bright red, so they are easy to find in the crowded Seoul district. -Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images
That number includes employees called the Mobile Travel Information Center, who stand on the street in busy communities, such as Myeongdong in Seoul (skin care products from countless stores and Instagramable Cafes) to conduct on-site issues.
The staff wore bright red shirts and cowboy hats and could speak Chinese, Japanese or English.
“Asian tourists prioritize interaction and service as their most important aspects, aiming to meet the needs of tourists in collectivist culture,” Xu said. “In contrast, European tourists will focus on information and education as their primary function, catering to tourists with emphasis on personal concerns.”
South Korea is not the only Asian country where tourism information centers are booming.
Japan opened 250 times between 2018 and 2024, citing exhaustion of travelers in travel and more languages. The government recently pointed out that by 2030, the target of 60 million tourists will be reached each year.
Apart from translation and basic questions about how to find the closest to a public bathroom, Japan’s tourist support center is also a attraction itself. Each center in Japan has its own unique stamp called Eki Sutanpu In Japanese.
The Tourism Information Office on the first floor of Tokyo Plaza Shibuya opened in 2019.
Travelers who collect stamps in a tourist passport will do their best to stop at the information booth, even if they don’t need help finding anything. These stamps are free souvenirs, paying tribute to Japanese art and culture, and travel YouTubers and Tiktokers even compare which ones are the most beautiful or hard to find notes.
In addition to tourist information booths, these stamps can be purchased at major tourist attractions such as temples and look side (and each JR railway station).
This collection boom is called the English-language “stamp gathering.”
Thai entrepreneur Patrick Pakanan said he initially created the Stampquest app for his wife’s long-term rally.
Pakanan spent some time in Japan and spoke the language fluently, but he never missed any opportunity to enter the tourist information center.
“It’s nice to start talking to locals too, like what to eat, what is famous here, maybe visiting the shops they recommend,” he said.
“They have lived here all their lives and they really want to help you understand their community.”
Houston’s mom’s Melmeelstein agreed. Although she visited the tourist information booth to get stamps and seek advice, her family ended up spending a lot of time in their time and in the museum. She said a staff member showed her daughter how to write her name in Japanese. In another woman, one woman wears a kimono and gets her girls to wear and take pictures of them. Some centers offer dedicated play areas for young children.
Even though Pakanan himself did not collect stamps, he went straight to the Tourism Information Office whenever he visited the new area in Japan.
“Where you go diving, you have to have a diving master, right? Well, this is the local diving master.”
Editor’s Note: Gawon Bae and Chris Lau of CNN contributed the report.
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