Kaohsiung Style Sweeps Korea! Kaohsiung Connects with Seoul and Busan for Comprehensive Exchange in Tourism, Culture, and Concert Economy

Kaohsiung's international tourism outreach has reached new heights. Recently, the Kaohsiung City Government formed an 'International Kaohsiung Tourism Team' of over 60 members and traveled to Seoul and Busan, South Korea, to promote city tourism. In Seoul, they hosted the '2026 Kaohsiung Korea Seoul Tourism Promotion Event,' attracting over 150 representatives from Korea’s tourism industry, media, and KOLs. The team also met with Busan’s city government, Busan Tourism Association, and key players in Korea’s travel, aviation, media, and cultural entertainment sectors, while discussing potential collaboration with the immersive digital art brand 'ARTE MUSEUM.' The mission deepened exchanges across tourism, flight routes, concert economy, and cultural exhibitions, allowing 'Kaohsiung Style' to continue gaining momentum in Korea.

Recently, Kaohsiung was selected by the UK's The Times as one of the 'Best Global Holiday Destinations for November,' becoming the only city in Taiwan to receive this honor and further elevating its international profile. Kaohsiung City Government Tourism Bureau Director Kao Min-Lin stated that Kaohsiung has been actively expanding into the Korean tourism market in recent years, with Korea being a crucial source of international visitors. Kaohsiung combines the charm of a harbor city, a sunny climate, rich culinary culture, and strong capabilities in hosting large-scale events, all of which have contributed to its rising global visibility.

Director Kao emphasized that this year’s promotional theme is '활기찬 가오슝 活力高雄 (Vibrant Kaohsiung),' targeting Seoul and Busan to showcase Kaohsiung’s passionate, open, and energetic city image to Korean travelers. The 'Seoul first, then Busan' strategy included a large-scale B2B tourism promotion event in Seoul, where city tourism briefings, champion artisan demonstrations, and industry matchmaking sessions helped facilitate collaboration between Taiwan and Korea’s tourism sectors.

During the visit, the Kaohsiung team met with the Taipei Mission in Korea, Korea Airport Railroad Corporation (AREX), Korea Travel Association (KATA), Seoul Tourism Association (STA), Trinity Airways, Mode Tour, and leading cultural and entertainment companies such as CJ ENM and KBS TV, discussing cooperation in flight routes, transportation tickets, travel products, film and television content, and youth entrepreneurship.

The team then proceeded to sister city Busan, where they engaged in city-to-city tourism exchanges with the Busan City Government and Busan Tourism Association. Discussions focused on harbor city transformation, city branding, concert economy, night tourism, marine tourism, IPs and mascots, and social media marketing. Special attention was given to exchanging experiences on administrative support and urban services for large-scale concerts.

Busan Tourism Convention Bureau Director Roh Yoon-Bin shared insights from BTS’s top-tier concert in Busan this past June, which served over 200,000 attendees across two days. Director Kao shared Kaohsiung’s urban strategies for developing a 'concert economy,' including transportation management, citywide venue support, hotel discounts, shopping district and night market coupons, pre-concert festivals, city parties, and 'Tipsy Nights.' These initiatives are integrated with city events like the Kaohsiung Winter Wonderland and Kaohsiung Coffee Festival to convert concert attendance into broader tourism and consumer spending.

Director Kao noted that as harbor cities, Kaohsiung and Busan share strong potential for collaboration in large events, night-time economies, and marine tourism. She expressed hopes for continued deepening of bilateral exchanges through experience sharing and resource integration, creating more international tourism cooperation opportunities.

Beyond city exchanges, Kaohsiung also focused on emerging cultural tourism opportunities, particularly by visiting d'strict, a renowned Korean digital media design company, and its immersive art brand 'ARTE MUSEUM.' ARTE MUSEUM combines large-scale visual projections, surround sound, mist, scent, and artistic content to create multi-sensory immersive experiences, having attracted over 7 million visitors globally to date.

The two sides discussed three key themes: 'local IPs going global,' 'citizen-centered cultural platforms,' and 'creating future cultural experiences.' They also held in-depth discussions on ARTE MUSEUM’s potential urban exhibitions, venue planning, spatial design, content production, and marketing strategies for a possible进驻 at Kaohsiung’s LaLaport. The Kaohsiung City Government aims to connect international art brands with local cultural assets to create a globally attractive new cultural tourism landmark.

The Tourism Bureau noted that the 'Kaohsiung International Tourism Team' also brought together local tourism industry partners, including travel agencies, hotels, B&Bs, tourism associations,观光 factories, business districts, and specialty brands. World champion artisan Wang Peng-Jie (bread), 3D latte art master Chang Kuei-Fang, and world champion flair bartender Hsu Po-Sheng performed live demonstrations, showcasing Kaohsiung’s unique lifestyle through cuisine, accommodation, transportation, and artisan skills to Korean industry professionals.

The Kaohsiung Travel Agencies Association and Fei Yang Travel actively negotiated with Korean travel agencies to develop in-depth travel products for Kaohsiung and southern Taiwan. Southern Taiwan Bus demonstrated its transportation connectivity capabilities. Hotel industry representatives, including the Kaohsiung Hotel Business Association, Taiwan Star-rated Hotel Association, Kaohsiung Homestay Development Association, and Kaohsiung Shinzong Grand Hotel, jointly showcased Kaohsiung’s international hospitality capabilities.

Director Kao emphasized that this Korea visit was not just a tourism promotion but a 'dual-city mission' linking city branding with industrial collaboration. From B2B business matchmaking in Seoul, to city governance and concert economy exchanges in Busan, to cultural cooperation talks with ARTE MUSEUM, Kaohsiung is systematically integrating tourism, culture, entertainment, industry, and city branding, making 'Kaohsiung Style' a new gateway for Korean travelers to discover the city.

The Tourism Bureau stated that it will continue to focus on Korean market demands such as independent travel, K-drama and K-pop tourism, harbor leisure, and food culture, deepening city marketing and tourism industry collaboration. It will also continue improving the international-friendly tourism environment to attract more Korean and overseas travelers to 'Travel Taiwan, Choose Kaohsiung First,' driving sustained growth in Kaohsiung’s tourism industry.