TAINAN (TVBS News) — Organizers celebrated a record-breaking turnout at the 2024 Creative Expo Taiwan (CET, 2024臺灣文化創意博覽會) in Tainan. The event, which concluded on Sunday (Sep. 1), drew over 620,000 visitors, surpassing last year's attendance 600,000.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) thanked the Ministry of Culture (MOC, 文化部) for its support, which allowed the expo to be held in Tainan for the first time. He stated that this move brought Taiwan's creative power closer to the southern public.
Hsieh Shih-yuan (謝仕淵), director-general of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Tainan City Government (台南市政府文化局), noted a significant increase in visitor engagement at Xizhuwei Hills (西竹圍之丘) and Blueprint Cultural & Creative Park (藍晒圖文創園區). He stated that visitors' purchase rates doubled this year.
According to the MOC, the expo generated NT$12 billion in economic value, an 8% increase from last year's NT$11 billion. Hsieh highlighted the participation of over 570 brands and nearly 700 booths, with 123 local creative businesses from Tainan participating.
The success of this year's expo underscores the growing interest and investment in Taiwan's cultural and creative industries, organizers said. They hope to build on this momentum in future events.