Taiwanese duty free and travel retailer, Ever Rich, expects to open a giant shopping mall and hotel complex in about three years’ time on Penghu, an offshore island that forms part of an an archipelago of 64 islands in the Taiwan Strait between mainland China and Taiwan.

The project is similar to that opened on another Taiwan Strait island, Kinmen, but will be on a much bigger scale according to a spokesperson at Ever Rich. One reason for that is because it will also include entertainment facilities. The exact floor area is still to be decided.

The DF&TR shopping mall and hotel complex will be situated in a prime seafront location in the archipelago’s largest city of Magong, located on the largest island, which is also named Penghu.

INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE

Penghu is famous for its clean sea water and white sandy beaches which attract Mainland Chinese and Japanese travellers in large numbers, as well as other foreign nationals. The peak season is from April to September.

The tourism mix is broader that on Kinmen which is why Ever Rich plans to have a DF&TR assortment that is varied when it comes to price positioning.

Just like Kinmen, Penghu is now taking advantage of a new landing visa policy that took effect on 1 January this year, allowing Chinese visitors to Taiwanese offshore islands. This has been one lever in Ever Rich’s decision to develop another retail and leisure complex in the strait.

CROSS-STRAIT SAILING SPONSORSHIP

In the meantime, Ever Rich has sponsored the 2015 Penghu Cross-Strait Sailing Boat Tournament a key event in the island’s tourism calendar, helping to increase the media exposure of the island and Ever Rich overseas.

The 12 nautical-miles race in June started in Penghu Bay, Taiwan, and ended in Xiamen Bay, China, with 15 boats taking part from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan plus other nations.