Kaohsiung's concert economy and winter amusement park have created high-profile topics, which have also exploded Kaohsiung's tourism business opportunities. Concerts target "fans" at home and abroad, and large-scale events such as the winter amusement park focus on "parents and children." The two major customer groups have clear goals, making Kaohsiung's tourism results outstanding after the epidemic.
The Gao City Government announced its tourism report card when Mayor Chen Qimai completed his sixth term in office. Well-known magazines ranked the city first in the country for tourism satisfaction for three consecutive years, and ranked first among the six cities in four key growth indicators: hotel industry turnover, catering revenue, international tourist arrivals and international tourist consumption.
Kaohsiung Winter Amusement Park has become a city brand, attracting a large number of parents and children during the event. The picture shows the scene of two yellow ducks swimming in the harbor. (Provided by Gao City Government)
In July this year, The Times of the United Kingdom announced the "Twenty Most Worth Visiting Destinations in November" and Kaohsiung ranked tenth, the only city in Taiwan to be selected. In this year's Expedia Japan Golden Week overseas travel selection, Kaohsiung was selected as the overseas tourist destination with high CP value and the most wanted to visit, ranking first among Taiwanese cities. Kaohsiung was also selected as a global emerging tourist destination by Klook last year, and it was the only city in Taiwan selected.
Kaohsiung City Tourism Bureau analyzed that there are two major indicators of Kaohsiung’s tourism momentum in recent years, namely the concert economy and popular activities such as the Winter Amusement Park. Concerts attract a large number of domestic and foreign fans to gather in Kaohsiung for accommodation and consumption, which increases Kaohsiung’s international reputation; the Winter Amusement Park attracts a large number of family tourists to visit in winter to feel the sunshine of Kaohsiung. The overall tourism benefits are extremely high, creating a Kaohsiung tourism brand.
According to statistics from the Tourism Bureau, since the concert economy was actively promoted after the epidemic in 2023, a total of 471 concerts of various types have been held as of July this year, attracting more than 5.71 million fans, which translates to a tourism output value of 18.9 billion yuan.
The winter amusement park part started with Yellow Duck in 2024 and was succeeded by Jiikawa and Superman. It attracted more than 22.31 million visitors in three years and created benefits of 36.6 billion yuan.
The large-scale concert in Kaohsiung attracts fans from home and abroad. The picture shows the crowd before the concert at the World Games Main Stadium. (Photo by reporter Li Huizhou)
Independent City Councilor Zhang Boyang said that in recent years, Kaohsiung City has relied on the efficient administrative services under the leadership of Mayor Chen Chimai to attract large foreign IPs and international groups to come to Taiwan in turn, allowing Kaohsiung to escape the fate of only hosting "events held in Taipei." Some large-scale international commercial performances have even designated to only come to Kaohsiung.
Zhang Boyang also reminded the city government to think about the next step, how to turn "short-term topics" into "long-term tourism assets". It should first break regional restrictions. Considering that the current main tourist activities in Kaohsiung still focus on the Yawan and Yancheng Districts, it is recommended to promote in-depth tours in conjunction with the concert economy to guide tourists into more non-traditional mainstream tourist areas.
Secondly, local IP should be supported. Although introducing large-scale foreign IP can easily create buzz, it is ultimately "other people's stuff." The city government should simultaneously cultivate Taiwan's local IP and create a distinctive brand that can attract tourists from all over the world. Only in this way can Kaohsiung tourism go further.
The Kaohsiung City Tourism Bureau pointed out that it will work hard to promote the transformation of tourism, gradually moving from crowd growth to brand growth and urban marketing, and further expand its influence in the international market.
Kaohsiung Winter Amusement Park has made its name, and the picture shows Superman entering the harbor. (Photo by reporter Wang Rongxiang)
