Leofoo and Lihpao Land Form Alliance; President Lai Chen-jung: Domestic Tourism Can No Longer Go It Alone
In response to a slump in domestic travel due to a boom in overseas tourism, Taiwan's Leofoo Tourism Group and Lihpao Group have formed an alliance. They are launching a joint "buy-one-get-one-free" ticket for Leofoo Water Park and Lihpao Mala Bay to expand the market.
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- 📰 Published: May 14, 2026 at 14:43
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(Central News Agency, Taipei, 14th, by reporters Chiang Ming-yen and Yu Hsiao-han) Leofoo Tourism Group and Lihpao Group have uncharacteristically turned competition into cooperation. Leofoo Group President Lai Chen-jung frankly stated that with the public 'crazily traveling abroad,' domestic tourism has seen a significant loss, making it difficult for operators to go it alone. The goal is to integrate resources through a platform. He also noted that the high overall cost structure in tourism, where operators are not actually making 'excessive profits,' is a key problem.
Leofoo Tourism Group and Lihpao Land Resort announced today that they will launch a 'buy-one-get-one-free' deal for Leofoo Water Park and Lihpao's Mala Bay through a 'strategic alliance,' sparking curiosity about the reasons behind it.
'Domestic travel business has declined, with the overall market dropping by about 10% to 20% last year,' Lai Chen-jung said bluntly. Affected by the wave of overseas travel, business has not seen a significant rebound even with promotions. They hope to 'get two amusement experiences for the price of one' and expand the market together.
Lihpao Land Resort Chairman Chen Chih-hung revealed, 'Lihpao and Leofoo are not true competitors; we are competing together against foreign destinations.' This is the beginning of a collaboration. He pointed out that both parties have different resources. Leofoo has a zoo and venues throughout Taiwan, while Lihpao Group has multiple hotels across the island and has invested heavily in amusement parks and outlets.
Lai Chen-jung admitted that the challenge of cooperation lies not between the operators themselves, but in regulatory and institutional constraints. For example, amusement tax regulations differ across counties and cities, leading to inconsistent tax calculations for ticket sales. Coupled with issues like performance guarantees, these factors add significant complexity to cross-regional and cross-operator cooperation.
Lai stated that their water park averaged about 90,000 visitors last summer. This year, with the cooperation with Lihpao, they hope to challenge 180,000 visitors, a double from last year. The momentum comes not only from the cooperative benefits but also from a major IP collaboration project to be launched later.
Overall, Leofoo said that for this summer and the subsequent Halloween season, Leofoo Village, including the water park, is targeting about 460,000 visitors, a 58% increase from last year's approximately 300,000-plus visitors. However, he admitted that weather remains the biggest variable, and Leofoo is planning to build an indoor area to reduce the risk posed by weather to operations.
Speaking on the reasons for last year's sluggish market, Lai said the amusement park market declined by 10% to 20% last year, with some operators even seeing drops of 20% to 30%, and some severe cases reaching 50%. The main reason was the public 'crazily traveling abroad,' leading to a significant loss of demand for domestic travel. Leofoo is also actively considering overseas expansion and will announce new plans soon.
Lai expressed that the core problem currently facing Taiwan's tourism industry is not just demand, but the excessively high cost structure. Taking hotel accommodation as an example, consumers generally feel that Taiwan's accommodation prices are high, but operators are not actually making 'excessive profits.' The reasons lie in 'invisible costs' such as personnel, construction, and energy. Electricity expenses grew by 30% last year, and if this squeezes the room for salary increases, the industry's ability to attract talent will be affected.
Regarding recent criticisms of domestic tourism and Leofoo Village, Lai frankly said, 'We humbly accept them and will strive to improve.' But he hopes consumers understand that large-scale tourist facilities often require capital expenditures of NT$1 billion or NT$2 billion, and many investment projects are difficult to recoup from a financial perspective. 'Running an amusement park is about presenting joy to you and keeping the hardship for ourselves.'
Lai stated that it's hard to go it alone in the current market environment. Not everything has to be done by a single operator; instead, resources can be integrated through a platform model with travel agencies, food and beverage operators, and even collaborations with other industries. 'Many travel agencies have proactively approached us to discuss cooperation or mergers and acquisitions.'
He admitted that Taiwan's tourism industry actually has a good foundation, including public safety, hospitality, and service quality. But what is more needed now is infrastructure and supporting measures, not just short-term events. 'Every county and city in Taiwan is setting off fireworks, which have a limited one-time effect. If part of the budget could be invested in software and hardware like transportation connections, it would be a much greater help to the long-term tourism experience.' (Editor: Chang Liang-chih) 1150514
Leofoo Tourism Group and Lihpao Land Resort announced today that they will launch a 'buy-one-get-one-free' deal for Leofoo Water Park and Lihpao's Mala Bay through a 'strategic alliance,' sparking curiosity about the reasons behind it.
'Domestic travel business has declined, with the overall market dropping by about 10% to 20% last year,' Lai Chen-jung said bluntly. Affected by the wave of overseas travel, business has not seen a significant rebound even with promotions. They hope to 'get two amusement experiences for the price of one' and expand the market together.
Lihpao Land Resort Chairman Chen Chih-hung revealed, 'Lihpao and Leofoo are not true competitors; we are competing together against foreign destinations.' This is the beginning of a collaboration. He pointed out that both parties have different resources. Leofoo has a zoo and venues throughout Taiwan, while Lihpao Group has multiple hotels across the island and has invested heavily in amusement parks and outlets.
Lai Chen-jung admitted that the challenge of cooperation lies not between the operators themselves, but in regulatory and institutional constraints. For example, amusement tax regulations differ across counties and cities, leading to inconsistent tax calculations for ticket sales. Coupled with issues like performance guarantees, these factors add significant complexity to cross-regional and cross-operator cooperation.
Lai stated that their water park averaged about 90,000 visitors last summer. This year, with the cooperation with Lihpao, they hope to challenge 180,000 visitors, a double from last year. The momentum comes not only from the cooperative benefits but also from a major IP collaboration project to be launched later.
Overall, Leofoo said that for this summer and the subsequent Halloween season, Leofoo Village, including the water park, is targeting about 460,000 visitors, a 58% increase from last year's approximately 300,000-plus visitors. However, he admitted that weather remains the biggest variable, and Leofoo is planning to build an indoor area to reduce the risk posed by weather to operations.
Speaking on the reasons for last year's sluggish market, Lai said the amusement park market declined by 10% to 20% last year, with some operators even seeing drops of 20% to 30%, and some severe cases reaching 50%. The main reason was the public 'crazily traveling abroad,' leading to a significant loss of demand for domestic travel. Leofoo is also actively considering overseas expansion and will announce new plans soon.
Lai expressed that the core problem currently facing Taiwan's tourism industry is not just demand, but the excessively high cost structure. Taking hotel accommodation as an example, consumers generally feel that Taiwan's accommodation prices are high, but operators are not actually making 'excessive profits.' The reasons lie in 'invisible costs' such as personnel, construction, and energy. Electricity expenses grew by 30% last year, and if this squeezes the room for salary increases, the industry's ability to attract talent will be affected.
Regarding recent criticisms of domestic tourism and Leofoo Village, Lai frankly said, 'We humbly accept them and will strive to improve.' But he hopes consumers understand that large-scale tourist facilities often require capital expenditures of NT$1 billion or NT$2 billion, and many investment projects are difficult to recoup from a financial perspective. 'Running an amusement park is about presenting joy to you and keeping the hardship for ourselves.'
Lai stated that it's hard to go it alone in the current market environment. Not everything has to be done by a single operator; instead, resources can be integrated through a platform model with travel agencies, food and beverage operators, and even collaborations with other industries. 'Many travel agencies have proactively approached us to discuss cooperation or mergers and acquisitions.'
He admitted that Taiwan's tourism industry actually has a good foundation, including public safety, hospitality, and service quality. But what is more needed now is infrastructure and supporting measures, not just short-term events. 'Every county and city in Taiwan is setting off fireworks, which have a limited one-time effect. If part of the budget could be invested in software and hardware like transportation connections, it would be a much greater help to the long-term tourism experience.' (Editor: Chang Liang-chih) 1150514