Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCVB), the operator of the Multilingual Contact Center that provides information for inbound tourists from overseas in English, Chinese, and Korean, announced that they received 7,211 inquiries in fiscal 2015 about local events and sightseeing destinations.

The top three events were Okinawa Cherry Blossom Festival (104), fireworks (79), and Okinawa whale watching (50). Te top three sightseeing spots were Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (361), Mihama American village (253), and Kokusai Street (210). Regarding Okinawa’s outlying islands, Tokashiki (81), Ishigaki (71), Kouri (70), Zamami (58), and Miyako (47) were the top five. Most frequently asked questions were about directions, accommodations and camping information.

3, 541 inquires of the 7,211 were by phone, of which two-third required an interpreter. Along with this, taxi drivers with foreign customers needed a interpreter for a destination and the use of expressway of their customers were reported in significant numbers. As for the system of the multilingual service, Multilingual Contact Center received phone calls from foreign customers in its Tokyo branch, with the calls then switched to three-way calls with the OCVB staff as necessary.

OCVB’s goal is not only to provide general information, such as access guidance, but also to introduce other tourist facilities nearby in order to meet diverse customers’ needs. OCVB also plans to establish Spanish and Portuguese language support preparing for Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival that will be held this September and October.

The center’s service hours are from 09:00 to 21:00 and different contact numbers are provided for each language.

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