The Japanese city of Susaki has appointed an otter as its tourism ambassador

“Chitan” happily announced on Twitter that she is now the tourism ambassador of Susaki City. (Image / Screenshot from Twitter)

Promoting city tourism can no longer rely on traditional methods. In Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan, a social media influencer has been appointed as the city’s tourism ambassador — and this influencer is actually an otter.

The highly popular otter on the internet, “Chitan,” not only has over 740,000 followers on Twitter, but her adorable videos have also garnered over 100 million views. One of her most popular videos shows Chitan taking a bath for the first time. When her owner brought her to the bathtub, Chitan cried like a child, too scared to get in. But after her owner gently comforted her and slowly placed her in the water, Chitan began swimming around with ease — it was then that everyone realized she could actually swim.

While many people in Japan keep otters as pets, none have gained such widespread popularity. Recognizing Chitan’s immense charm, she was officially appointed as the tourism ambassador of Susaki City, Kochi Prefecture, on the 18th of this month. Susaki City Mayor Kousaku Kusunose solemnly presented her with a letter of appointment during the ceremony and, through a translator, conveyed Chitan’s future aspirations and philosophy.

Chitan will take on the responsibility of promoting Kochi Prefecture and Susaki City, using her skills on social media platforms to share event information. Kousaku Kusunose stated that he hopes to leverage Chitan’s influence to let more people know about the charm of both Kochi Prefecture and Susaki City.