Why tourist information centers are among Asia's best attractions

Why tourist information centers are among Asia's best attractions

Many travelers associate tourist information centers with maps and finding the nearest public toilet. But for Tammy Mermelstein, her visits to these information booths were some of the highlights of her recent vacation to Japan.

Preparing for the trip to Japan

The Houston-based mother of two spent more than a year planning her family's three-week trip to Japan. Although she brought back some special souvenirs, like scraps of fabric from a kimono from a flea market, it's the book full of stamps she collected from tourist information centers and other attractions that she's particularly proud to display.

A change in Europe

In some parts of Europe, tourist information centers are gradually becoming obsolete. Paris closed its last information center, right next to the Eiffel Tower, in January. Scotland has also announced that all information centers will be closed by the end of 2025.

Tourism officials in both cities cited social media and widespread access to smartphones as reasons for the closures. These institutions have adopted a “digital first” model, focusing on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, complemented by dedicated WhatsApp channels for travelers with specific questions.

Growth of information centers in Asia

While some experts are already predicting the death knell for personal assistance in tourist information centers, the number of information stands is increasing in Asian countries. According to Xiang Li, director of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, these centers are thriving because of the different mindsets of travelers in the region. “Asian tourists tend to appreciate structured instructions and personal explanations,” he explains. “Many of these travelers are less experienced in international travel and have language barriers, making personal interactions and support particularly important to them.”

The role of interaction

South Korea had about 300 tourist information centers in 2015; now there are 638. That number includes staff called “Moving Tourist Info Centers,” who stand in busy neighborhoods like Myeongdong in Seoul to answer questions. These employees wear bold red T-shirts and cowboy hats and speak Chinese, Japanese or English.

“Visitor centers in Asia prioritize interaction and service as their most important aspects to meet the needs of tourists in a collectivist culture,” says Xiang. “In contrast, European visitor centers focus primarily on information and education to serve tourists in a context that emphasizes individual attention.”

Japan and the stamp culture

Japan opened 250 new information centers between 2018 and 2024 to respond to overtourism and address the needs of international travelers in multiple languages. The government recently set a target of welcoming 60 million tourists annually by 2030.

The tourist centers in Japan are not only information points, but also attractions in themselves. Each center has a unique stamp known as “eki sutanpu” in Japanese. Travelers who collect these stamps in their tourist passports often specifically visit the information stands, even if they do not need specific assistance. These stamps are free souvenirs that honor the Japanese culture of art, and even travel YouTubers and TikTokers compare which version is the most beautiful or hardest to find.

The collecting mania and local conversations

This collecting frenzy is known in English as “stamp rallying”. Thai entrepreneur Patrick Pakanan originally founded the StampQuest app for his wife, who is a passionate stamp collector. Pakanan spent part of his childhood in Japan and is fluent in Japanese, but he takes every opportunity to enter a tourist information center. “It's a good way to start a conversation with the locals to find out what to eat, what's popular here or what shops they recommend,” he says.

Mother Mermelstein agrees. Although she visited the information centers to collect her stamps and seek advice, her family spent as much time there as in a museum. At one center, a staff member showed her daughters how to write their names in Japanese, and at another, a woman brought kimonos for the girls to wear and took photos of them. Some centers even have special play areas for young children.

Although Pakanan doesn't collect stamps himself, whenever he sees a new area in Japan he immediately visits an information office. "No matter where you go diving, you need a dive master, right? Well, this is the local dive master."

Editorial note:CNN's Gawon Bae and Chris Lau contributed reporting.