Former billionaire travel tycoon Kuo Cheng-li passes away in Kaohsiung at 60

▲Former President of Tianshi Travel Agency Kuo Cheng-li passed away unexpectedly in Kaohsiung on the 10th. (Photo / Eastern TV News)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Kuo Cheng-li, a legendary travel industry magnate who once had over NT$4 billion in assets, passed away at 7:45 p.m. on the 10th due to pneumonia at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. He was 60 years old.

Kuo Cheng-li was a legendary figure in the travel industry. In 1990, he founded Tianshi Travel Agency, which specialized in high-end Japanese tour packages and once achieved an annual turnover of NT$5.3 billion. Later, after suffering losses from real estate investments and accumulating debts of NT$1.5 billion, Tianshi Travel Agency went bankrupt in 2014. At the end of last year, he started over by selling sesame oil chicken at markets, and in June of this year, he relaunched high-end Japanese tour packages.

▲After the travel agency closed, Kuo Cheng-li made a comeback by selling sesame oil chicken. (Photo / fromthe Facebook page of Ah Ma's Sesame Oil Chicken, Dihua Street flagship store)

But just as his life was getting back on track, Kuo Cheng-li fell ill. Last week, he was admitted to the intensive care unit at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital due to pneumonia and was soon given a critical condition notice. A week later, he passed away from multiple organ failure leading to systemic sepsis on the evening of the 10th. It is reported that former colleagues from Tianshi Travel Agency visited him before he passed, and he died peacefully.