Is the New Southbound Policy just for show? Vendors at Liouhe Night Market voice frustration

The photo shows the bustling scene of Kaohsiung’s Liouhe Night Market in the past, which has not returned since the decline in Mainland Chinese tourists. (Photo courtesy of this newspaper group)

While the government is pushing the New Southbound Policy, targeting Southeast Asian markets for tourism development, the first half of last year saw significant growth at Taipei 101’s observation deck, with visitor numbers from Southeast Asian countries surging nearly 70%. However, recent reports indicate that night market vendors are complaining that Southeast Asian tourists have lower spending power than expected, lamenting that visitors only spend the equivalent of a bottle of alcohol before leaving, leaving vendors with little to no profit.

According to a report by the United Daily News, Kao Pin-chun, spokesperson for the Kuomintang, who accompanied former President Ma Ying-jeou during his visit to Kaohsiung for New Year’s Eve, revealed that some Liouhe Night Market vendors admitted business has become so poor that political party lines no longer matter—everyone in the area is mobilized to revive the market’s former glory. Despite the government’s long-term vision for the New Southbound Policy, the actual tourism revenue has fallen short of expectations, prompting vendors to voice dissatisfaction, saying, “Southeast Asian tourists just drink a bottle of beer and leave. What’s the point?”

Aside from former President Ma’s visit to “rescue” the market, Korean esports media Inven also recently took the opportunity of its players’ competition in Taiwan to guide them to try local snacks at Liouhe Night Market, such as spaghetti, stinky tofu, pork rib soup, and three-cup snake meat, offering an alternative marketing boost for Taiwan’s night market culture. However, after the report was published, discussions on PTT sparked comments from netizens saying, “Liouhe used to be packed with people, but now it’s practically empty,” and “Liouhe is almost becoming like Kenting.”

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