China’s Hainan island seeks rapper’s delight with invites to Cardi B and Travis Scott
The authorities are hoping to turn the island province into a major music destination after Kanye West sold out two shows last year
Rap superstars including Cardi B and Travis Scott have been invited to perform on the southern Chinese island of Hainan this year after two sold-out shows by Kanye West in September raked in millions from visitor spending.
Top-selling US rappers are on the radar of tourism officials in Haikou, the provincial capital, following the success of the rapper and producer’s two shows at the Wuyuan River Stadium in September, the latter of which was added due to overwhelming demand.
“Haikou sees itself as being among the world’s unique performing arts cities with a highly open and inclusive attitude,” said Wang Ke, chief of the city’s bureau of tourism, culture, radio, film and television, during a government meeting on Friday.
Wang said 95 per cent of the 80,000 fans who attended West’s shows – his first in China since 2008 – came from outside the province and drove tourism consumption of 730 million yuan (US$99.5 million). Tickets were sold out in seconds on Chinese ticketing platforms.
Wuyuan River Stadium can accommodate up to 45,000 spectators, while a newly completed gymnasium on the same site can take 18,000.