Reporter Zheng Boxheng/Reporting from Kaohsiung
Advertisement (Please continue reading this article)
The Tourism Administration of the Ministry of Transport and Kaohsiung Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Hall signed a cooperation memorandum of understanding on the 26th. In the future, the two parties will carry out tourism exchanges and cooperation in aspects such as sustainable tourism, sightseeing circle connection, marketing promotion and event promotion. It is hoped that both parties will actively Cooperate to make religious tourism one of Taiwan’s unique tourism themes and jointly promote regional tourism in southern Taiwan.
The signing ceremony of the memorandum of cooperation was held at the Buddha Memorial Hall. It was signed by Director of Tourism Zhou Yonghui and Director of the Buddha Memorial Hall Master Ru Chang on behalf of both parties. After the ceremony, the two parties will promote the Smiling Southern Taiwan Intellectual Tour, expand international tourist visits, optimize tourist travel experience, and connect the tours with surrounding attractions. We will exchange views on cooperation matters such as publicity and large-scale tourism activities organized by both parties, and discuss follow-up promotion methods.
Director of Tourism Zhou Yonghui said that the Buddha Memorial Hall is not only a religious holy place, but also a good place for parents and children in Southern Taiwan to go on an outing, experience Buddhist culture and watch art exhibitions. You can also visit the surrounding Maolin and Dapeng Bay National Scenic Areas to discover local special attractions. At the same time, the Tourism Department is also planning to connect the ten cultural exhibition halls in Southern Taiwan, including the Buddha Memorial Hall, to promote a new trend of tourism in Southern Taiwan through the promotion of exhibition hall activities and special exhibitions.
Advertisement (Please continue reading this article)
The director of the Buddha Memorial Hall, Master Ru Chang, pointed out that the Buddha Memorial Hall upholds the belief of Master Hsing Yun, the founder of Fo Guang Shan, in promoting “Humanistic Buddhism” and is committed to Buddhist culture and art, net-zero green living and carbon reduction, sustainable development of SDGs, and cultural tourism. The Buddha Memorial Hall has won the award from the world’s largest travel website for six consecutive years since 2014. It is one of the most important cultural and tourist attractions in Taiwan. Every year from March to October, European and American passengers from international cruise ships must visit the Buddhist Hall to see the Big Buddha, eat vegetarian food and view exhibitions.
This cross-border cooperation has opened up a dialogue between culture and tourism. In the future, we hope to expand the participation of domestic and foreign tourists through the wonderful collections and special exhibitions of the Buddha Memorial Hall, as well as the blessing activities of the Illuminations and the World Association of Gods, and become one of the world’s carnivals. Festival activities are expected to drive tourism benefits and production value in the surrounding areas through large-scale religious tourism activities.
