Anchor point
2025 Kaohsiung Tourism Maintains #1 National Ranking While Securing Prestigious European and American Gold Medals
Post date:2025-06-06
Update:2025-06-19
Viewing Count 11
Fantastic news! Kaohsiung tourism has retained its championship position nationwide while capturing two prestigious international gold medals! The 2025 Global Views Monthly County and City Mayor Governance Satisfaction Survey results reveal that Kaohsiung Mayor Chen, Chi-mai achieved the highest personal satisfaction rating among Taiwan's six special municipalities, maintaining his five-star mayor status. Notably, Kaohsiung ranked first among the six municipalities in economics, transportation, healthcare, education, and environmental protection, while its tourism satisfaction once again claimed the top national position. In a remarkable coincidence, Tourism Bureau statistics show that Kaohsiung City's tourist attractions welcomed 69.23 million visitors in 2024, ranking first nationwide in tourism numbers for the second consecutive year. Recently, the Tourism Bureau has garnered numerous major awards domestically and internationally, including seven consecutive national excellence awards for accommodation management, the Executive Yuan's Golden Xing Award and Gender Equality Innovation Award, while retaining the gold award in the China Times Tourism Administration Satisfaction Survey. Furthermore, the 2025 "Kaohsiung Wonderland" winter festival featuring the beloved Chiikawa characters has simultaneously captured two international gold medals: the American "TITAN Innovation Awards" and the British "LONDON DESIGN AWARDS." Kaohsiung has not only successfully established its city brand as the premier destination choice for domestic and international tourists visiting Taiwan but has also demonstrated exceptional tourism strength and global competitiveness!
Tourism Bureau Director Kao, Min-lin attributes Kaohsiung's outstanding tourism performance to actively showcasing the City's natural "mountain, sea, river, and harbor" features, while implementing comprehensive tourism development strategies and successfully reshaping the City's tourism brand identity. The Tourism Bureau has been actively developing "Kaohsiung City Intellectual Property (IP) Economics." In 2024, it reinvented the local "Kaohsiung Lantern Festival" brand by introducing for the first time the "Kaohsiung Wonderland" themed around the "Rubber Duck," which created a yellow sensation throughout Taiwan. Combined with popular recreational attractions, light shows, and related activities, the event attracted over 9 million visitors and generated more than NT$14 billion in tourism revenue, successfully establishing Kaohsiung's city event brand. In the same year, amid fierce competition, Kaohsiung secured the Excellence Award in the "2024 CommonWealth Magazine City Governance Excellence Awards" (Economic Growth Category). This year's "2025 Kaohsiung Wonderland" sparked another nationwide "Chiikawa" cuteness craze, attracting numerous families and young people, with 6 million visitors generating over NT$10 billion in tourism revenue, further enhancing Kaohsiung City and the "Kaohsiung Wonderland" event's visibility in the international tourism market. This year, Kaohsiung's Chiikawa display, presented as the world's first large-scale three-dimensional inflatable installation, set a world record for dynamic maritime presentation. The "Kaohsiung Wonderland" stood out among global entries to win both the American "TITAN Innovation Awards" and British "LONDON DESIGN AWARDS" gold medals in conceptual design. This achievement once again showcased Kaohsiung's beautiful Love River harbor scenery to the world, returning the City to the international spotlight.
Director Kao noted that according to Tourism Bureau statistics, Kaohsiung City's tourist attractions welcomed 69.23 million visitors in 2024, representing an 11.8% increase from 2023 and a remarkable 97.6% growth compared to pre-pandemic 2019. Being the most-visited city in Taiwan for two consecutive years demonstrates that Kaohsiung has become the premier destination for domestic and international travelers. The Tourism Bureau has not only revitalized the tourism industry post-pandemic and aggressively targeted travel markets at home and overseas, but also rebuilt Kaohsiung's city event portfolio. Beyond "Kaohsiung Wonderland," initiatives include reimagining the "Kaohsiung Bear" city mascot, launching various events and merchandise, creating a 28.3-meter tall Kaohsiung Bear hot air balloon, and developing the "Ride with the Wind" eco-tourism brand, "Wild Wild Life" urban camping experiences, "Cijin Kite Festival," Kaohsiung Bear "Love Moon Happy Balloon," "East Kaohsiung Hot Spring Season," and other outdoor activities. These efforts ensure that Kaohsiung offers not only stunning mountain and marine landscapes but also diverse activities for visitors throughout all four seasons. Furthermore, the Tourism Bureau is actively promoting new Kaohsiung culinary tourism brands, including the "Harbor Ice Festival," "Fried Chicken Carnival," "City Coffee Festival," and "Milk Tea Festival." These themed events attract hundreds of thousands of domestic and international tourists annually, boosting revenues for participating businesses and surrounding commercial districts by 30-40% on average.
In recent years, Kaohsiung has evolved from hosting major seasonal events to offering attractions almost weekly and monthly, while strategically developing its "concert economy." According to the Tourism Bureau, as of May 2025, Kaohsiung has hosted over 57 concerts featuring renowned international and domestic performers including Kylie Minogue, Maroon 5, Korea's SUPER JUNIOR-D&E, RAIN, Sunset Rollercoaster, Mixer, Accusefive, Jacky Cheung, and Eason Chan. These performances have attracted more than 620 thousand attendees and generated over NT$2 billion in tourism revenue. To enhance visitor retention rates among concert tourists, the Tourism Bureau has implemented comprehensive accommodation guidance programs, which include environmental certification for lodging businesses, sustainable accommodations, gender-friendly facilities, Muslim-friendly services, family- and senior-friendly options, and pet-friendly certifications. These initiatives have comprehensively elevated accommodation service quality to international standards, making the City the winner of the Tourism Administration's "National Excellence Award for Accommodation Management Performance" for seven consecutive years.
Director Kao, Min-lin emphasized that Kaohsiung's top-ranking tourism satisfaction across Taiwan reflects both strong citizen approval and positive word of mouth from visitors' personal experiences. This recognition and outstanding performance are the result of strategic tourism development planning, active policy implementation, and successful integration of public and private sector resources to create international tourism highlights and exceptional visitor experiences. Crucially, Mayor Chen, Chi-mai's earnest support for tourism development has enabled the City Government to enhance transportation, upgrade attraction facilities, strengthen multilingual services, and implement smart guided tours, actively improving the overall tourism environment.
Kao, Min-lin noted that by effectively capitalizing on the post-pandemic recovery of global travel and leveraging Kaohsiung's strategic position as the gateway to southern Taiwan and New Southbound Policy countries, the Tourism Bureau has mobilized a comprehensive "Kaohsiung Tourism Team." This coalition includes travel agencies, hotels, homestays, entertainment venues, tourism factories, business districts, souvenir retailers, and industry professionals working together to expand into international markets. Their targeted approach focuses on Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and Japan in Northeast Asia, as well as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Muslim markets in Southeast Asia. Through precise marketing strategies targeting MICE Tourism, Incentive Travel, Group Inclusive Tours, Foreign/Free Independent Travelers, and Cruise Tourism, Kaohsiung has consistently gained international recognition. Notably, Agoda selected Kaohsiung as one of "Asia's Most Fun and Economical Cities for 2024," while Klook listed it as a "2025 Global Emerging Travel Destination"—the only city in Taiwan to make the list—demonstrating Kaohsiung's potential and competitiveness in the international tourism market.
With visitor numbers ranking first nationwide for consecutive years and tourism satisfaction again leading the nation, "Takao Kaohsiung" has become synonymous with Taiwan tourism! Looking ahead, the Tourism Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government will continue enhancing the City's international tourism profile and strengthening its tourism brand. The efforts include partnerships with airlines, travel agencies, hotels, and accommodation providers in industry-government-academic collaborations, while supporting the central government initiatives to transform Kaohsiung International Airport, expand routes, destinations, and flight frequencies, and continuously promote Kaohsiung's tourism assets to global travelers. Simultaneously, the Tourism Bureau will continue organizing signature events, improving tourism infrastructure and services, and accelerating Kaohsiung's tourism transformation and upgrades—all aimed at attracting more domestic and international visitors to experience Kaohsiung's outstanding sightseeing, recreational activities, and travel opportunities!
Tourism Bureau Director Kao, Min-lin attributes Kaohsiung's outstanding tourism performance to actively showcasing the City's natural "mountain, sea, river, and harbor" features, while implementing comprehensive tourism development strategies and successfully reshaping the City's tourism brand identity. The Tourism Bureau has been actively developing "Kaohsiung City Intellectual Property (IP) Economics." In 2024, it reinvented the local "Kaohsiung Lantern Festival" brand by introducing for the first time the "Kaohsiung Wonderland" themed around the "Rubber Duck," which created a yellow sensation throughout Taiwan. Combined with popular recreational attractions, light shows, and related activities, the event attracted over 9 million visitors and generated more than NT$14 billion in tourism revenue, successfully establishing Kaohsiung's city event brand. In the same year, amid fierce competition, Kaohsiung secured the Excellence Award in the "2024 CommonWealth Magazine City Governance Excellence Awards" (Economic Growth Category). This year's "2025 Kaohsiung Wonderland" sparked another nationwide "Chiikawa" cuteness craze, attracting numerous families and young people, with 6 million visitors generating over NT$10 billion in tourism revenue, further enhancing Kaohsiung City and the "Kaohsiung Wonderland" event's visibility in the international tourism market. This year, Kaohsiung's Chiikawa display, presented as the world's first large-scale three-dimensional inflatable installation, set a world record for dynamic maritime presentation. The "Kaohsiung Wonderland" stood out among global entries to win both the American "TITAN Innovation Awards" and British "LONDON DESIGN AWARDS" gold medals in conceptual design. This achievement once again showcased Kaohsiung's beautiful Love River harbor scenery to the world, returning the City to the international spotlight.
Director Kao noted that according to Tourism Bureau statistics, Kaohsiung City's tourist attractions welcomed 69.23 million visitors in 2024, representing an 11.8% increase from 2023 and a remarkable 97.6% growth compared to pre-pandemic 2019. Being the most-visited city in Taiwan for two consecutive years demonstrates that Kaohsiung has become the premier destination for domestic and international travelers. The Tourism Bureau has not only revitalized the tourism industry post-pandemic and aggressively targeted travel markets at home and overseas, but also rebuilt Kaohsiung's city event portfolio. Beyond "Kaohsiung Wonderland," initiatives include reimagining the "Kaohsiung Bear" city mascot, launching various events and merchandise, creating a 28.3-meter tall Kaohsiung Bear hot air balloon, and developing the "Ride with the Wind" eco-tourism brand, "Wild Wild Life" urban camping experiences, "Cijin Kite Festival," Kaohsiung Bear "Love Moon Happy Balloon," "East Kaohsiung Hot Spring Season," and other outdoor activities. These efforts ensure that Kaohsiung offers not only stunning mountain and marine landscapes but also diverse activities for visitors throughout all four seasons. Furthermore, the Tourism Bureau is actively promoting new Kaohsiung culinary tourism brands, including the "Harbor Ice Festival," "Fried Chicken Carnival," "City Coffee Festival," and "Milk Tea Festival." These themed events attract hundreds of thousands of domestic and international tourists annually, boosting revenues for participating businesses and surrounding commercial districts by 30-40% on average.
In recent years, Kaohsiung has evolved from hosting major seasonal events to offering attractions almost weekly and monthly, while strategically developing its "concert economy." According to the Tourism Bureau, as of May 2025, Kaohsiung has hosted over 57 concerts featuring renowned international and domestic performers including Kylie Minogue, Maroon 5, Korea's SUPER JUNIOR-D&E, RAIN, Sunset Rollercoaster, Mixer, Accusefive, Jacky Cheung, and Eason Chan. These performances have attracted more than 620 thousand attendees and generated over NT$2 billion in tourism revenue. To enhance visitor retention rates among concert tourists, the Tourism Bureau has implemented comprehensive accommodation guidance programs, which include environmental certification for lodging businesses, sustainable accommodations, gender-friendly facilities, Muslim-friendly services, family- and senior-friendly options, and pet-friendly certifications. These initiatives have comprehensively elevated accommodation service quality to international standards, making the City the winner of the Tourism Administration's "National Excellence Award for Accommodation Management Performance" for seven consecutive years.
Director Kao, Min-lin emphasized that Kaohsiung's top-ranking tourism satisfaction across Taiwan reflects both strong citizen approval and positive word of mouth from visitors' personal experiences. This recognition and outstanding performance are the result of strategic tourism development planning, active policy implementation, and successful integration of public and private sector resources to create international tourism highlights and exceptional visitor experiences. Crucially, Mayor Chen, Chi-mai's earnest support for tourism development has enabled the City Government to enhance transportation, upgrade attraction facilities, strengthen multilingual services, and implement smart guided tours, actively improving the overall tourism environment.
Kao, Min-lin noted that by effectively capitalizing on the post-pandemic recovery of global travel and leveraging Kaohsiung's strategic position as the gateway to southern Taiwan and New Southbound Policy countries, the Tourism Bureau has mobilized a comprehensive "Kaohsiung Tourism Team." This coalition includes travel agencies, hotels, homestays, entertainment venues, tourism factories, business districts, souvenir retailers, and industry professionals working together to expand into international markets. Their targeted approach focuses on Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and Japan in Northeast Asia, as well as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Muslim markets in Southeast Asia. Through precise marketing strategies targeting MICE Tourism, Incentive Travel, Group Inclusive Tours, Foreign/Free Independent Travelers, and Cruise Tourism, Kaohsiung has consistently gained international recognition. Notably, Agoda selected Kaohsiung as one of "Asia's Most Fun and Economical Cities for 2024," while Klook listed it as a "2025 Global Emerging Travel Destination"—the only city in Taiwan to make the list—demonstrating Kaohsiung's potential and competitiveness in the international tourism market.
With visitor numbers ranking first nationwide for consecutive years and tourism satisfaction again leading the nation, "Takao Kaohsiung" has become synonymous with Taiwan tourism! Looking ahead, the Tourism Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government will continue enhancing the City's international tourism profile and strengthening its tourism brand. The efforts include partnerships with airlines, travel agencies, hotels, and accommodation providers in industry-government-academic collaborations, while supporting the central government initiatives to transform Kaohsiung International Airport, expand routes, destinations, and flight frequencies, and continuously promote Kaohsiung's tourism assets to global travelers. Simultaneously, the Tourism Bureau will continue organizing signature events, improving tourism infrastructure and services, and accelerating Kaohsiung's tourism transformation and upgrades—all aimed at attracting more domestic and international visitors to experience Kaohsiung's outstanding sightseeing, recreational activities, and travel opportunities!
Gallery
Recent News
