Taichung City Hall will be hosting the inaugural Taichung Shopping Festival from July 10 to August 18. Besides multimillion-dollar mansions, million-dollar luxury cars, and presidential suite accommodation packages, businesses citywide have also launched various promotional offers. In particular, renowned night markets including Fengjia, Miaodong, and Yizhong Night Market have already demonstrated their support by providing a plethora of shopping discounts. Tourism Office Director-General Hsiao-chi Lin appeals to the public to participate in the activities in order to enjoy affordable gourmet delicacies and stand a chance to win great prizes.
Tourism Office stated that the top 2-night markets in the country are located right here in Taichung! According to 2016 statistics from the Taxation Administration, Ministry of Finance, Taichung's Fengjia Night Market contributed nearly NT$100 million in business tax to the national treasury, making it the most prolific night market in Taiwan in terms of tax revenue. The Miaodong Night Market in Fengyuan is hot on the heels of Fengjia Night Market at the second place. Night market shopping districts such as Fengjia and Miaodong have always been essential destinations for many tourists, culminating in the astonishing business potential.
According to Tourism Office Director-General Hsiao-chi Lin, Taiwan's night markets offer a fusion of aesthetic, aromatic, and delectable traditional snacks that are extremely popular among domestic and international tourists. Statistics from the Tourism Bureau, MOTC reveal that in 2017, 67.78% of the inbound tourists come to Taiwan for gourmet food or unique local delicacies. The night market is one of the most iconic features of Taiwanese culture, playing the role of driving force behind regional and shopping district developments. Although the number of large-scale night markets in Taiwan is on the rise, they lack diversity, integration, and are highly redundant in terms of merchandise, therefore they are struggling to bring back customers year-round and achieve sustainable development like Fengjia and Miaodong Night Market.
Director-General Lin pointed out that Fengjia Night Market is the most talked about night market on the Internet, and it has set a new benchmark for innovative night market experiences. As the largest shopping district tourist night market in the country, Fengjia Night Market offers myriads of affordable, innovative and tantalizing delicacies to whet the appetite of domestic and international tourists. Popular classic dishes served include snacks or desserts such as octopus balls, Taiwanese sausage wrapped in sticky rice sausage, and sweet potato balls.
In addition to gourmet food stalls, Fengjia Night Market has also attracted plenty of online auctioneers striving to make a name for themselves on the market. With a wide selection of the latest fashion and accessories on offer, they have become an essential shopping destination for tourists. Fengjia Night Market, nearby department stores, and cinemas have formed a close-knit shopping district, and these are complemented by renowned pastry shops to provide tourists with more diverse leisure and entertainment alternatives.
Miaodong Night Market is centered on the Mazu Temple; as an integral part of the Fuxing Road shopping district, it is also the hub of living, shopping, gathering, and recreation in the local community, as well as the premier destination for sightseeing in the former Shancheng area of Taichung. Well-known snacks in Miaodong Night Market include pineapple ice, water chestnut crisp, triangle meatballs (crystal dumplings), meatballs, crispy pork rib noodles, and steamed shrimp meatballs, etc., proving to be extremely popular among tourists. The Tourism Office indicated that in an effort to stimulate the economy in Taichung, the inaugural Taichung Shopping Festival will be held from July 10 to August 18 in collaboration with local shopping districts, associations, department stores, and tourism industry to promote tourism and shopping-themed activities for the sake of injecting more tourism and shopping-related momentum to Taichung. The first Taichung Shopping Festival will include night markets, where shoppers stand to win multimillion-dollar mansions, million-dollar luxury cars, and presidential suite accommodation packages. All they have to do to enter the lottery is make purchases valued at NT$500 or more at stores exempt from issuing uniform invoices, scan the store's QR code and obtain a receipt from the store. For more details, please refer to https://www.taichungshopping.tw/.