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.
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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.
Cardi B, who has topped global music charts since her debut in 2015, is not only known for hits such as “I Like It” and “Bodak Yellow”. Her social commentary during the Covid-19 pandemic, which showed appreciation for China’s efforts and policies, grew her fan base in the country.
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The 32-year-old Grammy winner has since made her way onto Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, Xiaohongshu and Douyin, where she boasts over 1.6 million followers.
Houston rapper Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus stadium tour, which began in October 2023 and concluded a year later, sold 1.7 million tickets and grossed nearly US$210 million, breaking the record for the highest selling tour by a solo rapper.