The 2024 Taichung Shopping Festival had achieved outstanding results, generating a total registered spending amount of NT$35.3 billion. The Taichung Pass (TCPASS) app has surpassed 2.8 million downloads, with over 1.65 million registered members. The festival attracted international participation from over 40 countries, including Malaysia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the United States, Andorra, Macau, and the Philippines, with a total of 2,784 foreign travelers registering their purchases, amounting to more than NT$43 million. This reflects Taichung’s appeal as a global city.
Foreign Traveler Participation and Spending Rankings
Photo: Economic Development Bureau, Taichung City Government
According to Taichung City Government's Economic Development Bureau (EDB) Director, Chang Feng-Yuan, the event app was integrated into the TCPASS in 2022 (the 4th edition), introducing data analytics features. Since 2024, nationality has been a mandatory field during registration. The statistics reveal that 2,784 foreign travelers participated this year, with the top three countries being:
Photo: Economic Development Bureau, Taichung City Government
1. Malaysia – 633 participants
2. Mainland China – 434 participants
3. Hong Kong – 403 participants
Photo: Economic Development Bureau, Taichung City Government
Other notable participant numbers include Vietnam (250), Japan (182), Indonesia (152), the United States (63), Andorra (59), Macau (54), and the Philippines (46).
In terms of registered spending, the top three nationalities were:
Photo: Economic Development Bureau, Taichung City Government
1. Mainland China – NT$11.51 million
2. Hong Kong – NT$8.96 million
3. Malaysia – NT$8.83 million
Other countries, including the United States, Japan, Vietnam, and Indonesia, also recorded over NT$1 million in spending.
Key Marketing Strategies for International Growth
Director Chang highlighted three major marketing strategies that contributed to the festival's success:
1. International Video Marketing:
Collaborated with representatives from Japan, Korea, and the United States in Taiwan to film promotional videos.
Each video garnered over 250,000 views online.
2. Expanded Global Promotion:
Widely disseminated festival-related content through international English-language media platforms.
Reached 47 countries, including Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand.
Promoted the festival to over 500 hotels across Asia.
3. Multilingual App Interface:
The event app now supports Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean, making it easier for foreign visitors to participate.
Boosting Taichung's Tourism and Economy
According to Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, during the festival period, Taichung saw an influx of foreign visitors, with the top three source regions being:
1. Hong Kong – 24,954 visitors
2. Vietnam – 9,900 visitors
3. South Korea – 9,618 visitors
This surge in international tourism has significantly contributed to Taichung’s local economy and tourism industry.
Future Plans: Strengthening Taichung's International Presence
The Economic Development Bureau expressed gratitude for the enthusiastic participation of travelers from over 40 countries. Moving forward, the Taichung City Government will continue to prioritize international marketing, enhance the festival’s global reach, and attract even more international visitors to experience the unique charm of Taichung.
Advertorial by Economic Development Bureau, Taichung City Government
CAUTIOUS RECOVERY: While the manufacturing sector returned to growth amid the US-China trade truce, firms remain wary as uncertainty clouds the outlook, the CIER said The local manufacturing sector returned to expansion last month, as the official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose 2.1 points to 51.0, driven by a temporary easing in US-China trade tensions, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) said yesterday. The PMI gauges the health of the manufacturing industry, with readings above 50 indicating expansion and those below 50 signaling contraction. “Firms are not as pessimistic as they were in April, but they remain far from optimistic,” CIER president Lien Hsien-ming (連賢明) said at a news conference. The full impact of US tariff decisions is unlikely to become clear until later this month
With an approval rating of just two percent, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte might be the world’s most unpopular leader, according to pollsters. Protests greeted her rise to power 29 months ago, and have marked her entire term — joined by assorted scandals, investigations, controversies and a surge in gang violence. The 63-year-old is the target of a dozen probes, including for her alleged failure to declare gifts of luxury jewels and watches, a scandal inevitably dubbed “Rolexgate.” She is also under the microscope for a two-week undeclared absence for nose surgery — which she insists was medical, not cosmetic — and is
GROWING CONCERN: Some senior Trump administration officials opposed the UAE expansion over fears that another TSMC project could jeopardize its US investment Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is evaluating building an advanced production facility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and has discussed the possibility with officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration, people familiar with the matter said, in a potentially major bet on the Middle East that would only come to fruition with Washington’s approval. The company has had multiple meetings in the past few months with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and officials from MGX, an influential investment vehicle overseen by the UAE president’s brother, the people said. The conversations are a continuation of talks that
Alchip Technologies Ltd (世芯), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designer specializing in artificial-intelligence (AI) chips, yesterday said that small-volume production of 3-nanometer (nm) chips for a key customer is on track to start by the end of this year, dismissing speculation about delays in producing advanced chips. As Alchip is transitioning from 7-nanometer and 5-nanometer process technology to 3 nanometers, investors and shareholders have been closely monitoring whether the company is navigating through such transition smoothly. “We are proceeding well in [building] this generation [of chips]. It appears to me that no revision will be required. We have achieved success in designing
RSS