TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Four hotels in Kaohsiung City were fined for price gouging during concerts by British rock band Coldplay, reports said Saturday (Nov. 11).
The authorities clamped down on malpractice related to major concerts following serious cases of ticket scalping ahead of Kaohsiung concerts by K-pop group Blackpink last March. Coldplay will play two concerts in the south Taiwan city, on Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 12).
Kaohsiung’s Department of Tourism took the opportunity to review hotel room rates Friday (Nov. 10) and found four out of 12 hotels guilty of price gouging, per CNA. Each hotel will be fined NT$50,000 (US$1,540) and will be subject to a second round of inspections.
In addition to Coldplay, the city will also host a concert by Taiwanese Mandopop star Wen Yin Liang (梁文音) this month, and by rock star Rod Stewart on March 9, 2024. The hotel occupancy rate in the downtown area for the Coldplay and Liang performances exceeded 90%.