Kaohsiung's 'Vibrant Kaohsiung' Campaign Advances to Seoul, Attracts 150 Industry Professionals to Target South Korea's Independent Travel Market

The Kaohsiung City Government Tourism Bureau led a 'Kaohsiung International Tourism Team' of over 60 members to South Korea, hosting the '2026 Kaohsiung Tourism Roadshow in Seoul' on July 29 under the theme 'Vibrant Kaohsiung' (활기찬 가오슝). The event comprehensively promoted Kaohsiung's urban charm to the South Korean tourism market, attracting more than 150 representatives from travel agencies, airlines, media, and tourism industry associations. The Taipei Representative Office in Korea, the Korea Travel Association (KATA), and the Seoul Tourism Association (STA) also attended, adding momentum to efforts to expand both independent and group travel markets from South Korea.

Tourism Bureau Director Kao Min-lin stated that South Korea has long been a key international source market for Kaohsiung. Recently, South Korean travelers have shown a preference for destinations offering coffee culture, gourmet food, shopping, historic districts, and coastal scenery—all of which align perfectly with Kaohsiung’s unique blend of mountains, sea, rivers, and harbor, along with convenient transportation and rich cultural offerings.

Kao highlighted that Kaohsiung was recently selected by the UK’s The Times as one of the 'Best Global Holiday Destinations for November,' the only city in Taiwan to make the list. The feature story used Zuoying’s Lotus Pond as its cover image, praising Kaohsiung’s warm and comfortable climate during autumn and winter, as well as its integrated appeal of harbor views, cuisine, and culture.

The roadshow introduced Kaohsiung’s harbor tourism, culinary culture, concert economy, nightlife, and youth-driven creative brands through city presentations, promotional videos, B2B business matchmaking, themed exhibition booths, and a networking luncheon. The goal was to deepen tourism exchanges between Taiwan and South Korea and attract more South Korean visitors to Kaohsiung.

Director Kao emphasized that Kaohsiung has actively developed its concert economy in recent years, hosting performances by numerous K-Pop artists and international superstars. These events have not only elevated the city’s global visibility but also increased South Korean interest and repeat visitation. For this event, the Tourism Bureau collaborated with the Agriculture Bureau and Youth Affairs Bureau to jointly promote Kaohsiung’s unique 'Kaohsiung Culture (K-Culture)'—spanning tourism, food, rural experiences, and youth entrepreneurship.

The event featured several world champion artisans showcasing Kaohsiung’s distinctiveness. World champion bartender Hsu Po-sheng demonstrated flair bartending to highlight the city’s vibrant nightlife. World bread champion Wang Peng-chieh shared his baking expertise, while My Cofi founder Chang Kuei-fang presented 3D latte art depicting Kaohsiung’s coffee culture—offering South Korean travel professionals a sensory and experiential understanding of the city.

Multiple Kaohsiung-based tourism brands and accommodation providers also participated, including Lepeng Goose Oil, Yancheng Bear Milk Tea, Daxin Lamb, Kaohsiung Grand Hotel, Kaohsiung Shing Jong Hotel, Feiyang Travel Agency, and various tourism associations—demonstrating a complete tourism industry chain.

Airlines including China Airlines, EVA Air, Tigerair Taiwan, T'way Air, and Jeju Air supported the event by offering round-trip air tickets between Kaohsiung and South Korea as raffle prizes. Meanwhile, Kaohsiung InterContinental Hotel, THE AMNIS Hotel, E-Da World, and Tingmeng Players provided accommodation vouchers, experience coupons, and tour packages to encourage South Korean travel agencies to design more Kaohsiung-focused travel products.

The Tourism Bureau also invited several popular South Korean travel influencers and content creators. Among them, the travel influencer couple 'Uiland' shared a four-day, three-night immersive travel video, encouraging South Korean travelers to personally experience Kaohsiung’s harbor views, culinary culture, and urban charm.

Following the Seoul roadshow, the Kaohsiung International Tourism Team immediately headed to Busan, its sister city, to engage in exchanges on harbor tourism, city branding, travel product development, and tourism industry collaboration—further deepening bilateral tourism cooperation between Taiwan and South Korea and expanding the South Korean market for travel to Kaohsiung.