This May, the Kaohsiung City Government Information Bureau invited three Internet celebrities - Keeris Nith from Thailand, Rebecca from Singapore, and Mai Ky Han from Vietnam - to visit and explore Kaohsiung. The three Internet stars all have Instagram accounts centered around fashion, food, and leisure. Together they have over 100,000 followers and an average of over 1,000 likes on each post, making them highly influential in their respective countries. What's more, people might look to them when planning a trip abroad. The Kaohsiung City Government Information Bureau also invited Taiwanese Internet stars to interact with their Southeast Asian counterparts and travel with them in Kaohsiung. The hope was to let the world experience the beauty of Kaohsiung through social media.
Information Chief Chang Chia-Hsing pointed out that, as social media rapidly develops around the world, regardless of whether we are talking about bloggers, online models, YouTubers, or IG celebrities, where there are "followers" there are crowds and attention. In order to attract tourists from New Southbound countries to visit Taiwan and promote Kaohsiung's tourism and international image, the Internet celebrities this time were invited to share their experience on their social media platforms where they have substantial reach and influence. Their introduction can give viewers the incentive to visit Kaohsiung.
Chang also stated that the Information Bureau is taking advantage of the influence of social media to spread the results of the city's urban transformation through the fast method of online clicks. Over time, the hashtag #Kaohsiungstyle has effectively increased Kaohsiung's online reach, and in turn the number of visitors to Kaohsiung. This time, the three popular travel Internet stars from Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam were invited to make the trip to Kaohsiung to record the beauty of Kaohsiung as an ocean capital, with its art, culture, and delicious cuisine from a traveler's perspective. In doing this, they helped increase Kaohsiung's exposure in New Southbound countries, and boost the development of tourism in Kaohsiung.
Three Taiwanese Internet stars took the three foreign stars on a 24-hour non-stop tour of Kaohsiung, starting with an authentic traditional breakfast early in the morning. They then headed to the Formosa Boulevard Station to see the Dome of Light, the largest piece of glass installation art in the world. The three visiting stars all expressed their love and wonder for this place. Even the audience watching overseas gushed about how they wish they could visit Kaohsiung right away.
Afterwards, they visited the Center of Old Fongshan City History. Walking through the old gates, they used interactive technology to go back in time, which allowed these foreign Internet starts to see the old and new Kaohsiung and learn about the context of the city's history. They then headed toward the must-visit Pier-2 Art Center, to Kaohsiung's center of design and creative energy: Pier-2 and KW2. Here they got to experience Kaohsiung's spirit of art and culture, and encountered pleasant surprises around every corner. One of these was when the Taiwanese hosts took their guests on a ride on the waterside light rail. This was the first grounded light rail in Asia, and saw the guests enter Pier-2 from the harbors for an in-depth experience of the charm that makes Kaohsiung one of the top 10 tourism cities in the world, and gave them a sense of Kaohsiung's integration of modernity and culture.
Chang pointed out how at the end of 2017, the renowned travel guide Lonely Planet listed the top 10 best cities to visit in 2018, and Kaohsiung's combination of Taiwan's island atmosphere and abundant delicious cuisines made it the only city in Asia to make the list. Statistics show that of the travelers staying overnight in Kaohsiung in 2017, the number of travelers from Singapore increased by 25.01% compared to the previous year, and other Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia, all saw significant increases as well. Most visitors are independent travelers.
Since the city is renowned for its harbors, tourism in Kaohsiung cannot be complete without tasting some fresh and delicious stir-fried seafood. As they ate, each Internet celebrity promised to come back for another food tour. Lastly, they headed up to Shoushan's Lovers' Viewing Platform, ending the tour with a beautiful nighttime view of Kaohsiung Harbor.
The influencers from New Southbound countries:
1. Thai Instagrammer Keeris Nith:
Traveled all around the world, good at capturing local street views and cuisines from a unique perspective. His photos are highly saturated, with sharp contrasts and thoughtful ideas. Every post is met with an enthusiastic response.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi85buVja24/?taken-by=keerisnith
2. Singapore Instagrammer Rebecca Inkka Ten:
A travel blogger that pays particular attention to color and composition. She always wears different outfits based on different locations, in a sense putting on her own online fashion show.
Not only does she take gorgeous photos, she also often tries out Instagram's newest photo editing technology, mixing both photography and videos. She is widely praised among travel bloggers all over the world.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BjzkiQ1nmtt/?taken-by=beccabeczten
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdOlZgBrUK6g2SnyjlJsoLw
3. Vietnamese Instagrammer Mai Ky Han:
Using the unique perspective of a young girl, she flexibly arranges the backgrounds and the colors of her clothes to create sharp contrasts. Her photos are both thoughtful and fun.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi8futPgZNa/?taken-by=maikyhan
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