Anchor point
Kaohsiung's tourism charm attracts Japan, South Korea, and Eswatini, with multiple international cities visiting the Tourism Bureau to discuss cooperation
Post date:2024-03-11
Update:2024-04-10
Viewing Count 611
Actively promoting international tourism, the Tourism Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government is vigorously promoting Kaohsiung's city marketing and actively improving Kaohsiung's hospitality services, friendly reception, convenient transportation, cruise ship tourism, and diverse food capacity and tourism advantages to fully develop post-pandemic tourism; especially since last year, many large-scale international concerts have attracted many international tourists to visit Kaohsiung. During the exhibition period of the Kaohsiung Lantern Festival's Yellow Duck this year, the Tourism Bureau successively negotiated cooperation with sister cities Kumamoto Prefecture, Sado City in Japan, Busan City in South Korea, and Eswatini in Africa; Director Min-Lin Kao pointed out that in addition to the recently added "Kaohsiung-Bangkok"route by AirAsia, many countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam have successively sent tour groups to Kaohsiung. The Tourism Bureau has also exchanged with many international city government agencies or units that have signed tourism cooperation agreements, such as Sapporo City in Hokkaido, Japan, Enoshima Electric Railway Co., Ltd., Nippon Travel Agency (NTA), and the Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities (TPO) in South Korea. They have conducted in-depth discussions on aspects such as flight routes between the two countries and regions, sharing of international tourism experience, exchange of marketing resources, tourism promotion and subsidies, animal conservation plans, and zoo exchanges, with the aim of achieving mutual tourist exchange goals and bringing more international visitors to Kaohsiung.
Min-Lin Kao, director of the Tourism Bureau, said that in recent years, Kaohsiung has been actively promoting international tourism. During the "2024 Kaohsiung Wonderland" Kaohsiung Lantern Festival this year, a total of six sister cities and friendly partner city delegations from Mbabane, Eswatini; Portland, USA; Busan, South Korea; Kumamoto Prefecture, Kumamoto City, and Sado City, Japan visited Kaohsiung;they personally experienced Kaohsiung's diverse aspects of urban planning, green transportation, and cultural heritage, and explored the results of Kaohsiung's construction and transformation over the past ten years. Among them, Japan is an important target market for Kaohsiung. Recently, the Tourism Bureau exchanged visits with Kiyotaka Sakamoto, Director of the Transportation Policy and Statistics Bureau of Kumamoto Prefecture, and Tomonori Aoyama, Director of Tourism and MICE Promotion Department at the Economic and Tourism Affairs Bureau of Sapporo City, and other distinguished guest delegations. They had in-depth exchanges on topics such as the resumption of direct flights between the two cities, sister city linkage and cooperation, and exchanges in the tourism industry. Kiyotaka Sakamoto, Director of Kumamoto Prefecture, said that after the official operation of TSMC's Kumamoto plant, the attention of Japanese people towards Taiwan has greatly increased. Based on the strong sentiment of the sister city agreement, both sides hope to resume the pre-pandemic "Kaohsiung-Kumamoto" direct flight as soon as possible, which will greatly benefit the promotion of business, work skills, and tourism exchanges between the people of the two countries in the future.
Tomonori Aoyama, Director of Sapporo City, Hokkaido, also said that the MOU on tourism exchange between the two cities, which was re-signed in March last year, has laid the foundation for Sapporo and Kaohsiung to jointly promote international tourism; this is the first visit to the Tourism Bureau of Kaohsiung City after the pandemic, and it is hoped that the "Kaohsiung-Sapporo" direct flight can be resumed faster with the joint efforts of the two cities, so that citizens of both places can easily visit each other and enjoy the warm winter in Kaohsiung this winter. Director Tomonori Aoyama, who visited Kaohsiung for the first time, really likes the city's appearance and atmosphere of Kaohsiung. Through Director Kao's enthusiastic introduction and recommendation of attractions, he gained a deep understanding of Kaohsiung and deeply felt the enthusiasm of Kaohsiung citizens. He hopes that in the future, both sides can have more exchanges in tourism, culture, and marathon sports.
The Tourism Bureau further pointed out that in addition to Japanese government units, Japanese private companies are also important partners in attracting Japanese tourists to Taiwan. The Tourism Bureau previously cooperated with Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation to initiate cross-border tourism cooperation with Japan's Enoshima Electric Railway and Kyoto Randen. This time, Toshiyuki Nakazawa, president of Japan's Enoshima Electric Railway Co., Ltd., was invited to lead company executives and the team of the well-known Japanese food company "Oyatsu Company Limited" to visit Kaohsiung at the end of last month; they visited the merchandise hall at Formosa Boulevard Station to understand the mascot of Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation, Station Master Mikan, various products, and planning. Director Min-Lin Kao said that the cross-border IP cooperation between Kaohsiung Tourism Ambassador Kaohsiung Bear, Kaohsiung MRT's Mikan, and Japan's Oyatsu Company Limited has reached a preliminary consensus. It is expected that in the second half of the year, Kaohsiung-style dessert foods using local ingredients from Kaohsiung will be launched, so that tourists from Taiwan and Japan can leave a deep travel impression of Kaohsiung through exquisite packaging and excellent taste when taking the train in both countries. Furthermore, the Tourism Bureau also continues to negotiate with Nippon Travel Agency on Kaohsiung tourism marketing, educational travel (school trips), and guest-sending cooperation plans, hoping to have further promotion results at the Taiwan-Japan Tourism Exchange Summit and by the end of this year.
Min-Lin Kao pointed out that according to statistics from the Tourism Administration of Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the number of Korean tourists visiting Taiwan ranked third in 2023. In addition, last year, Korean airlines such as T'way Air and Air Busan, as well as national airlines China Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan, successively resumed various routes between "Kaohsiung and Korea," indicating that the post-pandemic Korean market is receiving increasing attention; the Tourism Bureau has also seized the opportunity to continue deploying and negotiating international tourism cooperation channels in the Korean market, and actively inviting Korean tourism units to visit. In February of this year, Park Geun-luk, Director of the Tourism and MICE Industry Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City Government, and his team, as well as Kim Bo-kyung, Executive Director of the "Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities" (TPO), were invited to visit Kaohsiung, hoping to strengthen tourism cooperation between Taiwan and South Korea and accelerate attracting more Korean tourists to visit Kaohsiung.
Park Geun-luk, Director of the Busan Metropolitan City Government, explained that Kaohsiung and Busan became sister cities in 1966, and both have tourism resources such as rivers, ports, and Michelin cuisine. In the future, both sides can participate in each other's local international travel fairs, hold international tourism promotion conferences, and conduct international media channel publicity in a mutually beneficial manner to strengthen international marketing of the two countries. It is hoped that through cooperation and exchanges between the public and private sectors, such as city government officials and private tourism operators, more Korean people will get to know Kaohsiung and be attracted to visit Kaohsiung for tourism. Kim Bo-kyung, Executive Director of the "Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities" (TPO), said that Kaohsiung's soft and hard infrastructure for tourism has achieved fruitful results in recent years, such as the Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal, Kaohsiung Music Center, and the completion of the light rail circle; with the introduction of Kaohsiung's city tourism resources by the Tourism Bureau, he has a better understanding and is optimistic about the future prospects of Kaohsiung's tourism industry. He believes that in the future, Kaohsiung can successfully promote its international tourism development within the cities of the TPO organization and increase its visibility and popularity.
When Mayor Chen Chi-Mai visited the Kingdom of Eswatini last year, he visited the Hlane Royal National Park and was deeply impressed by the country's rich wildlife ecology and outstanding environmental conservation; during the visit of Mbabane Mayor Vusi Wilson Tembe and his delegation to Kaohsiung, the city government specially arranged for the Eswatini delegation to visit the Shoushan Zoo, hoping to let the delegation gain an in-depth understanding of the animal environment planning, exhibit design, and animal care methods of Kaohsiung's zoo, and further exchange ideas on animal conservation and zoo exchanges. Mayor Tembe said that the Shoushan Zoo plans various animal exhibition areas with different themes, allowing the public to observe the behavior and characteristics of animals from different angles. He emphasized that Mbabane City is very willing to jointly promote animal conservation exchanges with Kaohsiung City and looks forward to achieving concrete cooperation as soon as possible in the future.
The Tourism Bureau stated that Kaohsiung's international tourism popularity and visibility have continued to rise recently. In the future, it will continue to connect and strengthen international channels such as Kaohsiung's sister cities, friendly cities, our country's overseas offices or foreign embassies in Taiwan to promote Kaohsiung, and market Kaohsiung's tourism advantages, highlights, and the most enthusiastic and warm human touch; not only to make Kaohsiung a first-tier international tourist city but also to make more international tourists fall in love with Kaohsiung and enjoy traveling to Kaohsiung. For more information on Kaohsiung events and travel information, please visit the Kaohsiung Travel website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Min-Lin Kao, director of the Tourism Bureau, said that in recent years, Kaohsiung has been actively promoting international tourism. During the "2024 Kaohsiung Wonderland" Kaohsiung Lantern Festival this year, a total of six sister cities and friendly partner city delegations from Mbabane, Eswatini; Portland, USA; Busan, South Korea; Kumamoto Prefecture, Kumamoto City, and Sado City, Japan visited Kaohsiung;they personally experienced Kaohsiung's diverse aspects of urban planning, green transportation, and cultural heritage, and explored the results of Kaohsiung's construction and transformation over the past ten years. Among them, Japan is an important target market for Kaohsiung. Recently, the Tourism Bureau exchanged visits with Kiyotaka Sakamoto, Director of the Transportation Policy and Statistics Bureau of Kumamoto Prefecture, and Tomonori Aoyama, Director of Tourism and MICE Promotion Department at the Economic and Tourism Affairs Bureau of Sapporo City, and other distinguished guest delegations. They had in-depth exchanges on topics such as the resumption of direct flights between the two cities, sister city linkage and cooperation, and exchanges in the tourism industry. Kiyotaka Sakamoto, Director of Kumamoto Prefecture, said that after the official operation of TSMC's Kumamoto plant, the attention of Japanese people towards Taiwan has greatly increased. Based on the strong sentiment of the sister city agreement, both sides hope to resume the pre-pandemic "Kaohsiung-Kumamoto" direct flight as soon as possible, which will greatly benefit the promotion of business, work skills, and tourism exchanges between the people of the two countries in the future.
Tomonori Aoyama, Director of Sapporo City, Hokkaido, also said that the MOU on tourism exchange between the two cities, which was re-signed in March last year, has laid the foundation for Sapporo and Kaohsiung to jointly promote international tourism; this is the first visit to the Tourism Bureau of Kaohsiung City after the pandemic, and it is hoped that the "Kaohsiung-Sapporo" direct flight can be resumed faster with the joint efforts of the two cities, so that citizens of both places can easily visit each other and enjoy the warm winter in Kaohsiung this winter. Director Tomonori Aoyama, who visited Kaohsiung for the first time, really likes the city's appearance and atmosphere of Kaohsiung. Through Director Kao's enthusiastic introduction and recommendation of attractions, he gained a deep understanding of Kaohsiung and deeply felt the enthusiasm of Kaohsiung citizens. He hopes that in the future, both sides can have more exchanges in tourism, culture, and marathon sports.
The Tourism Bureau further pointed out that in addition to Japanese government units, Japanese private companies are also important partners in attracting Japanese tourists to Taiwan. The Tourism Bureau previously cooperated with Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation to initiate cross-border tourism cooperation with Japan's Enoshima Electric Railway and Kyoto Randen. This time, Toshiyuki Nakazawa, president of Japan's Enoshima Electric Railway Co., Ltd., was invited to lead company executives and the team of the well-known Japanese food company "Oyatsu Company Limited" to visit Kaohsiung at the end of last month; they visited the merchandise hall at Formosa Boulevard Station to understand the mascot of Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation, Station Master Mikan, various products, and planning. Director Min-Lin Kao said that the cross-border IP cooperation between Kaohsiung Tourism Ambassador Kaohsiung Bear, Kaohsiung MRT's Mikan, and Japan's Oyatsu Company Limited has reached a preliminary consensus. It is expected that in the second half of the year, Kaohsiung-style dessert foods using local ingredients from Kaohsiung will be launched, so that tourists from Taiwan and Japan can leave a deep travel impression of Kaohsiung through exquisite packaging and excellent taste when taking the train in both countries. Furthermore, the Tourism Bureau also continues to negotiate with Nippon Travel Agency on Kaohsiung tourism marketing, educational travel (school trips), and guest-sending cooperation plans, hoping to have further promotion results at the Taiwan-Japan Tourism Exchange Summit and by the end of this year.
Min-Lin Kao pointed out that according to statistics from the Tourism Administration of Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the number of Korean tourists visiting Taiwan ranked third in 2023. In addition, last year, Korean airlines such as T'way Air and Air Busan, as well as national airlines China Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan, successively resumed various routes between "Kaohsiung and Korea," indicating that the post-pandemic Korean market is receiving increasing attention; the Tourism Bureau has also seized the opportunity to continue deploying and negotiating international tourism cooperation channels in the Korean market, and actively inviting Korean tourism units to visit. In February of this year, Park Geun-luk, Director of the Tourism and MICE Industry Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City Government, and his team, as well as Kim Bo-kyung, Executive Director of the "Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities" (TPO), were invited to visit Kaohsiung, hoping to strengthen tourism cooperation between Taiwan and South Korea and accelerate attracting more Korean tourists to visit Kaohsiung.
Park Geun-luk, Director of the Busan Metropolitan City Government, explained that Kaohsiung and Busan became sister cities in 1966, and both have tourism resources such as rivers, ports, and Michelin cuisine. In the future, both sides can participate in each other's local international travel fairs, hold international tourism promotion conferences, and conduct international media channel publicity in a mutually beneficial manner to strengthen international marketing of the two countries. It is hoped that through cooperation and exchanges between the public and private sectors, such as city government officials and private tourism operators, more Korean people will get to know Kaohsiung and be attracted to visit Kaohsiung for tourism. Kim Bo-kyung, Executive Director of the "Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities" (TPO), said that Kaohsiung's soft and hard infrastructure for tourism has achieved fruitful results in recent years, such as the Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal, Kaohsiung Music Center, and the completion of the light rail circle; with the introduction of Kaohsiung's city tourism resources by the Tourism Bureau, he has a better understanding and is optimistic about the future prospects of Kaohsiung's tourism industry. He believes that in the future, Kaohsiung can successfully promote its international tourism development within the cities of the TPO organization and increase its visibility and popularity.
When Mayor Chen Chi-Mai visited the Kingdom of Eswatini last year, he visited the Hlane Royal National Park and was deeply impressed by the country's rich wildlife ecology and outstanding environmental conservation; during the visit of Mbabane Mayor Vusi Wilson Tembe and his delegation to Kaohsiung, the city government specially arranged for the Eswatini delegation to visit the Shoushan Zoo, hoping to let the delegation gain an in-depth understanding of the animal environment planning, exhibit design, and animal care methods of Kaohsiung's zoo, and further exchange ideas on animal conservation and zoo exchanges. Mayor Tembe said that the Shoushan Zoo plans various animal exhibition areas with different themes, allowing the public to observe the behavior and characteristics of animals from different angles. He emphasized that Mbabane City is very willing to jointly promote animal conservation exchanges with Kaohsiung City and looks forward to achieving concrete cooperation as soon as possible in the future.
The Tourism Bureau stated that Kaohsiung's international tourism popularity and visibility have continued to rise recently. In the future, it will continue to connect and strengthen international channels such as Kaohsiung's sister cities, friendly cities, our country's overseas offices or foreign embassies in Taiwan to promote Kaohsiung, and market Kaohsiung's tourism advantages, highlights, and the most enthusiastic and warm human touch; not only to make Kaohsiung a first-tier international tourist city but also to make more international tourists fall in love with Kaohsiung and enjoy traveling to Kaohsiung. For more information on Kaohsiung events and travel information, please visit the Kaohsiung Travel website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Gallery
