Kaohsiung is making a strong bid this year to include the city’s annual Pride parade into its tourism promotion and marketing efforts, hoping that the “pink dollar” would help to boost its economy.
The promotion of the 2020 Kaohsiung Pride, themed “We! Around You!” which is to be held on Nov. 28, is a joint effort by the city government and civic group KH Pride.
It is the first time for KH Pride to work so closely with the city government to organize the parade, group chairman Guzifer Leong (梁展輝) yesterday said
The city has been advertising the event on public TV channels and official Web sites to help attract more people, Leong said.
To promote the event, a sidewalk at Pier-2 Art Center has been painted in rainbow colors and LGBT-themed artworks have been put on display at the scenic waterfront, Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Shih Che (史哲) said.
The rainbow-colored sidewalk is “an excellent spot for people to take photos with the ocean in the background,” Shih said.
The “pink dollar” initiative was last month proposed by Kaohsiung City councilors Chien Huan-tsung (簡煥宗), Kao Min-lin (高閔琳) and Huang Chieh (黃捷) to promote LGBT awareness and attract visitors, the city government said.
LGBT people around the world hold a purchasing power of about US$3.7 trillion, with one-third of the money concentrated in Asia, Chien said.
Kaohsiung should target that demographic in its tourism marketing, he added.
The Pride parade is expected to attract up to 45,000 participants, three times more than last year, Leong said.
“LGBT events bring considerable economic benefits to the host cities, thanks to the large number of participants from both the LGBT and non-LGBT communities,” he said.
The expected increase in participants is based on a changed attitude toward LGBT people, Leong said.
“I have been approached by many parents of young LGBT people, asking about volunteering opportunities for themselves,” he said
Meanwhile, Taiwanese pop star Jolin Tsai (蔡依林), a long-time supporter of LGBT rights, is scheduled to perform in Kaohsiung on the day of the parade, Leong said, adding that this would also draw many visitors to the city.
The city would continue to protect LGBT rights, as “everyone is equal in the face of love,” Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said.
The Pride parade is to start in front of Dayi Park at 1:30pm on Nov. 28, proceed along Dacheng Street and Wufu 3rd Road, cross the Love River and return to its starting point at about 3:30pm.
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