A research team of Hokkaido University published a 198-page article book about "Lucky ☆ Star" and its impact on the tourism. The title is "Media Contents and Tourism : An Experience of Washimiya Town and Neon Genesis of Tourism".

Cover of the article book

Washinomiya Shrine, the model of Hiiragi sisters' shrine, got popular and the number of the visitors in 2009 increased fivefold compared to that in 2007. The economic effect brought to Washinomiya town was estimated to be 100 million yen (approx. $1 million).

Associate Professor Yamamura Takayoshi was attracted by the unity of the local citizens and the fans, and started to investigate the relationship between the anime and the tourism. Number of researchers from other universities joined the study, and the data and the discussions were summarized in the article.

Dr. Yamamura said "The promotion of Washinomiya was successful because the affection for Lucky Star was shared by all the people involved. It's a good example to other local cities, which plan to rebuild the economy by tourism."

Source: Hokkaido University
The PDF file of the article