The Culture and Visitor Action Plan is designed to advance
the development projects that will increase the convenience
of visitors. Such projects include the development of an
on-demand tourist information system, the improvement of
signs and information boards to make visitors' travel to
the destinations safe, enjoyable and easy, and the improvement
of the landscape that focuses on the vicinities of tourist
facilities. The city recognizes that the beautiful landscape
of the city is effective to impress the visitors as well
as to enrich the citizens' lives. In this respect, the city
aims to advance the plan from the visitor's point of view
and to develop itself into a city with comfortableness and
plentiful amenities that meet the visitors' expectations.
1. Enhancement of on-demand tourist
information system / city's guidance
functions
Establishment of "Osaka Tourist
Information Center" in Midosuji
The city plans to establish the "Osaka Tourist Information
Center" in Midosuji, an avenue that symbolizes the city.
As a one-stop center of Osaka's tourist information, the information
center will serve as the city's major information source, that
visitors can depend on to have their pleasant trip in Osaka.
Reinforcement of multilingual services at tourist information
centers using "trio-phone" / Establishment of a multilingual
call center
The city aims to reinforce the multilingual tourist information
services at five tourist information centers located in the
city by using a trio-phone* system. The available languages
will include Chinese and Korean.
The city also plans to establish a call center, which non-Japanese
visitors can call during the nighttime and ask in their own
language for information on nighttime tourist activities available
in the city. The call center will also function as a contact
for emergency cases such as sickness and accidents.
*trio-phone:
a telephone system that allows a conversation among three locations
at the same time.
Using this system,
the information center can call and connect a translator to
the line between the center and an inquiring caller, establishing
a smooth communication among the center, the caller and the
translator.
Provision of traffic information using Intelligent Transport
Systems (ITS) / Provision of tourist information using cell
phones
Aiming to support visitors' smooth travel in the city, the
city will provide the information of public transportation,
including operation updates and transit information, by using
the information communication technology.
The city also aims to improve the information system that
uses mobile terminals such as i-mode cell phones to provide
tourist information and other useful information about the
city.
Reinforcement of guidance functions for visitors by improving
street signs and tourist information boards
The city aims to improve its guidance functions further for
visitors and to create a visitor-friendly environment in
the city. The improvements include the installation of tourist
information boards at tourist facilities and subway stations,
the installation of street signs for pedestrians, the improvement
of services at the tourist information centers, the effective
display of information brochures, and the advancement of
multilingual services and pictographic display of information.
Production of digital guide map of barrier-free environment
information
The city will produce a digital guide
map that contains easy-to-read information
on barrier-free environments (elevators,
slopes, wheelchair-accessible restrooms,
etc.) at major public facilities and
tourist spots, such as stations and
their vicinities, amusement facilities,
shopping centers, and so on. The map
will be also provided via internet.
Promotion of digital museum
The city aims to increase the availability of information
on museums in the city by promoting the digitization of information
on their collections and providing such information unitarily
via internet. The city also attempts to increase the number
of new visitors and to secure repeating visitors by promptly
providing facility information on each museum.
2. Concentrative streetscape makeovers in vicinities of tourist
spots
The city aims to create a pleasant atmosphere in the city
that welcomes visitors by applying concentrative streetscape
makeovers in the vicinities of terminal stations and major
tourist facilities. Such makeovers will include the development
of relaxing spaces by planting flowers and trees as well
as the presentation of beautiful nightscapes.
Promotion of
barrier-free environment at terminal stations and their vicinities
The city will designate major terminal stations and their
vicinities in the city as the important zones for the promotion
of barrier-free environments. By establishing a basic concept
for the development and encouraging a coalition between operators
of the development project, the city aims to coordinately
promote the barrier-free environments at the stations and
other transport facilities as well as streets in their vicinities.
Reinforcement
of management against abandoned bicycles
The city attempts to decrease the number of abandoned bicycles
on public streets and to secure traffic safety by reinforcing
removal measures of the bicycles and altering the structure
of the streets to increase bicycle parking space.
Especially in the important zones for the promotion of barrier-free
environments, the city will enforce the stronger management
against the abandoned bicycles according to the Barrier-Free
Transportation Law.
Creation of relaxing spaces for visitors
/ Freshening-up of tourist spots with flowers and greenery
The city will install street banners and present fiber-optic
illuminations on streets in the vicinities of terminal stations
and major tourist facilities to create understandable, pleasant
streetscapes and barrier-free environments for visitors.
The city also aims to create greenery-rich sceneries and
relaxing spaces in those locations. To make the city appealing
to as many people as possible, the city, with support from
local businesses and citizens, will conduct a concentrative
greenery improvement in Umeda, Midosuji and Namba, which
are the city's major gateways to the tourist facilities.
Nightscape
presentation by light display of bridges/buildings and illuminations
At night, it is possible to create an attractive scene
of the city different from the daytime by effectively presenting
light displays. Considering this respect, the city will advance
the preparation of nightscape presentations in riverside
areas, seaside areas, terminal stations, business districts,
etc. by lighting up the buildings and displaying the illuminations
to produce a safe, comfortable and attractive environment
for people's nighttime activities.
3. Improvement of visitors’ convenience
Support for the improvement of information service at hotels
The city supports hotels and other accommodations in
improving their information services for visitors, from selling
various
tickets to providing traffic information and tourist information.
Along with the support, the city also aims to reinforce the
relationship between the hotels regarding their information
services for the visitors.
Development of parking information
system
The city aims to advance the development of a parking
information system that notifies drivers of space availability
and location
of parking lots using variable information boards. The city
will also improve functions of the system to provide various
parking information via internet.
Development of parking lots
for tour buses / Development of tour bus depots at major
terminals
In the Nagahori area, the city will develop new parking
spaces for tour buses and install underground paths as well
as wheelchair-accessible elevators to establish the connection
with other public underground paths.
As for the existing public bus-accessible parking lots, the
city aims to encourage the effective use of the parking spaces
by providing the information of these parking lots to tourist-related
businesses.
The city also continues to discuss the changes in the operation
of the existing parking lots as well as the development of
depots for tour buses in the vicinities of major terminals.
Development
and support of tour taxi system
In conjunction with the taxi industry, the city aims
to organize a training course for tour taxi drivers and help
the drivers obtain tour guiding knowledge, including profiles
of tourist spots, as well as service skills for visitors.
The city will also advise the industry on coordinating tourist
spots to design an attractive tour course.
Introduction of
a loop bus that connects tourist spots
Aiming to meet the diversified needs of tourists as well
as to increase the attractiveness of tourist spots synergistically,
the city plans to introduce a loop bus service that covers
major tourist facilities and enables comfortable and convenient
tours between these spots.
4. Improvement of Accessibility to Osaka
It is expected that the transport of people and goods will
dramatically increase as the economy in Asian countries grows.
Considering this respect, the city aims to establish itself
as globally-competitive connection point to Asia and other
parts of the world. By encouraging the transport industries
to install new services to/from Kansai International Airport,
Port of Osaka, OCAT, and so on, the city intends to increase
the accessibility to Osaka.
- Promotion of direct flight to Osaka
- Promotion of foreign
cruises (e.g. Osaka - Pusan, Korea)
- Promotion of Fly & Cruise*
tours
(*Fly & Cruise tour: Based on Port of Osaka, the
tour combines a cruise and a flight to/from Kansai
International Airport. The city especially focuses
on this type of
tour
since it is effective in encouraging the use of Osaka
Port and to attract foreign tourists to sightseeing
in the city)
- Promotion of long-distance bus services
- Improvement of
railroad networks (including the development of Osaka
Gaikanjo Line, Nishiosaka Extended Line,
Nakanoshima New Line, etc.)
5. Development of safe city
The city intends to create a safe environment in the
city, which is essential for the development of a visitor-friendly
international city.
Security improvement for road facilities
To prevent traffic accidents and crimes during the nighttime,
the city plans to install lighting equipment on sidewalks
of major roads as well as on local streets and increase the
brightness of the streets in the city.
Security lighting in
parks
Appropriate lighting at parks during the nighttime helps
prevent possible crimes and accidents and also provides a
potential victim a safe way to escape in case of emergencies.
To secure the safety in parks during the nighttime, the city
increases the brightness of lighting in the nighttime in
parks by rearranging the location of lighting equipment and
installing more equipment.
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