The big Lapras event at Pokémon GO has borne fruit and brought a considerable sum to a crisis-stricken region of Japan.
From November 11 to 22, the big Lapras event took place in Tohoku (Japan). With the event the rare Pokémon Lapras appeared more frequently in Pokémon GO along part of the eastern coast of Japan. The areas of Iwate-Miyagi and Fukushima Prefecture were particularly highlighted. In March 2011, a tsunami caused significant damage here, from which these regions have yet to recover. Fukushima, especially with the nuclear disaster, made headlines around the world.
100,000 tourists spent 16.3 million euros
The event was intended to encourage trainers to visit these locations and, in the process, catch a lot of Lapras.
Now it appears that the plan succeeded and the event has benefited the locations financially.
The Lapras drew approximately 100,000 tourists to the city of Ishinomaki, who spent 2 billion yen, equivalent to 16.3 million euros. The figures come from the Miyagi Prefecture.
Pokémon tourists bring money, but also traffic jams
According to a report from a Redditor, the event was received with mixed feelings by the local residents. The influx of tourists was noticeable. People even came from overseas. This caused traffic jams and crowds for a week.
But there are also improvements to infrastructure taking place, such as replacing lights that had not worked for five years. Tourists have shown interest in the region’s history and visited the visitor center. There, pictures of the catastrophe in 2011 were displayed, as Reddit member shinjikun10 recounts.
Pokémon GO has managed with the Lapras event to pump a considerable amount of money into Ishinomaki’s coffers and to raise awareness of the tsunami and its aftermath.
Some speculate on Reddit that a region of Japan, which has been shaken by earthquakes, could benefit from such an event next.
Pokémon GO made waves in 2016. There are probably reasons that Pokémon GO was searched for more in 2016 than Trump or Hilary.
