Luhan, a former member of the boy band EXO, held the Gap Day Music Festival on November 23-24 in Chancheng District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province. The event attracted great attention, helping the city's tourism activities grow unexpectedly.
The Southern Daily reported that the music festival organized by Luhan attracted more than 70,000 spectators. Not only domestic fans but also many fans from abroad booked flights to this city to see their idol in person.
According to statistics, from November 22 to 24, Thien Thanh district welcomed a total of 40,300 visitors, an increase of 73.58% over the same period last year and an increase of 22.14% over normal weekends this year.
The event contributed to promoting the catering, accommodation, transportation, tourism, shopping and entertainment sectors in Chancheng District and surrounding areas with a total spending exceeding 300 million yuan.
The number of visitors to the scenic spots increased rapidly. The Ancestral Temple Museum welcomed a total of 37,700 tourists, an increase of 100.37% compared to the same period last year.
The Nanfeng Ancient Kiln Village Site welcomed a total of 11,600 tourists, up 219.45% year-on-year. Mt. Foshan Liang Park also recorded 7,200 visitors, up 125.15% year-on-year.
These are "dream" numbers for the tourism industry in Foshan city. Because before, this was not a place chosen by many tourists when coming to Guangdong.
To create the best conditions for Lu Han's music event, the Thien Thanh district government has had many support activities for fans coming here on November 23 and 24.
About 2,260 security personnel, 38 urban management personnel and 60 technical staff were mobilized to ensure the event ran smoothly. In addition, 200 free buses were also provided to transport guests from Foshan MRT Station to the music festival venue.
According to Nam Phuong Daily, music and entertainment events create positive impacts on the cultural, tourism and economic sectors of a region.
However, the city government also needs to have long-term plans to "retain" tourists instead of just growing in the short term when the event takes place.
Before Luhan, many Asian artists have attracted attention by contributing to the strong development of local tourism. Typically, in May 2023, Lisa (BlackPink) caused tourism to explode at some destinations in Thailand when she visited her hometown.
The photo series captured the moment when the youngest member of Blackpink visited the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, wearing traditional costumes, attracting 11 million likes on Instagram with nearly 100 million followers at that time. Immediately, the demand for sarongs in this country increased sharply, and the tourist spots that Lisa visited also witnessed a spike in the number of visitors.
Besides, the image of Lisa eating mango salad, luk chin yuen kim meatballs and many Thai dishes also made these dishes sought after by many people.
Or in mid-2024, the Malaysian state of Melaka welcomed a large number of Chinese tourists who came to visit and buy the durian that Fan Bingbing ate when she visited in June and posted on social media.
The above evidence shows the great attraction of celebrities in promoting tourism of a locality or country. This is also the way many Asian countries choose to introduce destinations and unique cuisine to the world public.
