About 500 people from Taiwan have visited the southwestern Japanese city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture as part of the city's campaign to attract foreign tourists.

The travelers are employees of a company headquartered in Taipei. They joined a group tour organized by the Kitakyushu Convention & Visitors Association.

The group visited Kokura Castle in the city's Kitakokura district on Monday.

The visitors were seen taking photos and videos with the castle in the background. After that, they moved to the castle's tower and got a taste of Japanese culture by wearing kimono.

One of the participants who visited the city for the first time said that the castle is magnificent and very beautiful. The person expressed hope to visit it again and will tell other people of its beauties.

In March, the city of Kitakyushu announced a goal to generate revenue from inbound tourism and drew up an action plan to attract more foreign travelers to the city.

Ukita Shingo, from the local association, said that many attractive places in the city are unknown to people overseas.

He said that he hopes the campaign will serve as an opportunity for people outside Japan to know more about Kitakyushu and encourage them to travel to the city.