Chiayi City Partners with Pikmin to Create Healing Walking Tour for Golden Shower Tree Season

In May, the Chiayi City Government launched a cross-industry collaboration with Pikmin Bloom, with the first wave integrating with the Chiayi Art Festival. With the recent arrival of the Golden Shower Tree blossom season, the Chiayi City Government has linked eight special locations to propose a city walking tour, inviting the public to embark on a healing journey. According to Chiayi City Government statistics, the three-day Labor Day holiday attracted 1.3 million visitors, generating an estimated NT$260 million in tourism revenue. Chiayi Mayor Huang Min-hui stated that May and June are the peak blooming period for Golden Shower Trees, with spectacular blooms along Zhongxiao Road and Shixian Road. This year, the Chiayi Art Festival and the "Pikmin Bloom Mini Walk" add more interactive fun to Chiayi's May. Besides enjoying the golden rain of flowers while riding a YouBike, people can also follow Pikmin's footsteps to explore city corners, get to know Chiayi City on foot, and deeply experience the charm of its street culture and local life, discovering Chiayi's most enchanting everyday scenery. Huang Min-hui also shared that the "Pikmin Bloom Mini Walk" is a special experience activity that combines gaming with local festivals. Eight special locations have been planned in Chiayi City, including the Cultural and Creative Industries Park, Chiayi Art Museum, Wenhua Park, Central First Market, Chiayi Literature Museum, Experimental Wood Factory, Chiayi Municipal Museum, and Chiayi City Municipal Baseball Stadium. At these special spots, people can interact with the app to receive golden seedlings for decoration Pikmin related to each location and specially designed postcards. Tourists are welcome to take advantage of the flower season for a healing walking tour. Cheng Ya-wen, Director of the Chiayi City Tourism and Information Department, said that the "Pikmin Bloom Mini Walk" guides tourists to explore Chiayi City. The eight special locations are also combined with various activities such as exhibitions and markets at different times, making every exploration full of surprises. The Tourism and Information Department recommends that tourists download the "iChiayi APP" to get public transport routes and real-time updates, YouBike station maps, travel guides, and parking space availability all in one hand. Paired with electronic payment cards like EasyCard or iPASS, they can also ride the three British-style red, yellow, and green electric city bus routes for free to tour Chiayi's major attractions.