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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Businesses make most of Kaohsiung duck installation
Two giant rubber ducks created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman float in Kaohsiung’s Love River Bay on Sunday. Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung City Government
BOOST: From department stores to bakeries, traders are noticing an increase in sales after the city urged them to cash in on artist Florentijn Hofman’s ducks
By Hsu Li-chuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Many Kaohsiung businesses are capitalizing on two inflatable yellow ducks created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, reporting a 20 percent increase in sales on average thanks to their duck-themed meals or discounts, the city’s Economic Development Bureau said.
The inflatable yellow ducks were set afloat in Kaohsiung’s Love River Bay on Jan. 27 as part of the Kaohsiung Wonderland festival.
Bureau Director-General Liao Tai-hsiang （廖泰翔） said that his bureau encouraged businesses, including restaurants, bars, bakeries and even department stores, across Kaohsiung to promote themselves while the ducks were in the city.
Hanshin Department Store said that compared with the same period last year, it has seen a 30 to 40 percent growth in sales over the past two weeks, while Talee Department Store said it has seen a 20 percent increase in customers and about a 10 percent growth in sales thanks to its limited-time offers.
The FE21’ Mega Far Eastern Department Store in Kaohsiung reported an evident increase in tourists, while the Le Shan shopping mall in the city’s Gangshan District （岡山） said it has seen sales rise 15 percent from a month earlier.
Meanwhile, Red Barn Factory & Tours said it saw three times more visitors due to its duck-related event, while the Miche restaurant chain said it anticipated a 20 to 30 percent increase in customers thanks to the yellow duck-shaped bags it offered.
Boulangerie Shakespeare & Co said 90 percent of calls were about its limited-edition duck-shaped cake, and reported a 10 percent increase in visitors.
Puhu Taiwan Shoes Factory Tours said it was glad to be a part of the bureau’s event and had designed a shoe featuring the ducks.
One of Hofman’s 18m-tall inflatables last appeared in the city in 2013, attracting 3.9 million visitors to Glory Pier （光榮碼頭） during the 32 days it was on display.
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau on Sunday said that the festival has so far attracted more than 4 million visitors.
Additional reporting by CNA
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
Duck-themed cakes made by a local bakery are pictured in Kaohsiung in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Economic Development Bureau
