Attracted by its beautiful natural scenery and on-screen appeal, people from Hong Kong are showing greater interest in vacationing in the Kenting beach area, local business sources said.
Hotel and guest house owners and motorbike rental shopkeepers said they have received a lot more inquiries about accommodations and car rentals on the Internet from Hong Kong residents in recent months.
The blockbuster movie Cape No. 7 (海角七號) has increased interest in this area of Taiwan, particularly among people from Hong Kong, said Apple Sun, a public relations official with the five-star Howard hotel in Kenting National Park.
“After a locally produced TV drama featuring Kenting was broadcast in Taiwan and neighboring countries last summer, we began receiving a lot more e-mails from Hong Kong people inquiring about accommodations,” Sun said.
The romantic movie — the most successful at in Taiwan box office history — was filmed in nearby Hengchun and screened late last year. It appealed to Chinese-speaking communities and global film festivals with its depiction of Taiwanese culture, humor, story line, music and beautifully shot scenes.
The number of Internet inquiries about accommodations from Hong Kong residents has increased markedly since the beginning of this year, while the actual number of Hong Kong visitors checking in at the Howard has also grown by 40 percent, Sun said.
“Before late last year, we received only one or two e-mails a month from Hong Kong people asking about room prices, but now we get around 40 inquiries per week,” Sun said.
Meanwhile, workers at the Kenting Youth Activity Center, which is run by a non-profit foundation, have also noticed a difference.
A clerk at the center’s reception counter surnamed Lee said “indeed, there have been more customers from Hong Kong and China since late last year.”
Although Taiwanese visitors are the bulk of its clientele, Lee said the number of Hong Kong tourists staying at the center in the first quarter had increased by 15 percent compared to a year ago.
“And surprisingly, the case is similar with Chinese tourists,” Lee said.
Lee said almost every visitor from Hong Kong was drawn to Kenting by Cape No. 7 in addition to Kenting’s beaches.
“Everyone from Hong Kong talked about the movie and they just loved it,” he said.
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