The hotel industry remains above the “average” line of CO2 emissions, highlighting an “urgent” need for hospitality and leisure establishments to taper down carbon emissions, according to a recent report by CBRE Hotels Research.

Kaohsiung is to cut the price of its monthly public transportation pass to NT$399 this month, while Tainan is to offer its own monthly pass for NT$299 next month, the cities’ governments announced this week. The Kaohsiung Bureau of Transportation said the city’s monthly pass — currently priced at NT$1,250 — would be sold at the discounted price on the MeNGo app from April 27.

The Resorts World One cruise ship arrived in Penghu for the first time on Tuesday (April 11), as part of a new itinerary expected to bring 60,000 extra passengers per year to the islands in the middle of the Taiwan Strait. On Sunday, the ship leaves Hong Kong and arrives in Kaohsiung the following day as part of a dual homeport itinerary.

Much of the work toward planning sustainable events happens behind the scenes, says Jaime Nack, president of Three Squares, a global, women-owned environmental-consulting firm. “Some clients want to make sure the work gets done but they don’t want to talk about it. Others want to scream from the rooftops.”

SMART CITY INITIATIVE: The company’s Asia New Bay Area investments in EV bus and battery manufacturing are expected to create 2,000 new jobs in the city, Hon Hai said Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) plans to invest NT$25 billion (US$821.13 million) in Kaohsiung over the next three years, the company and the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday.

More associations are swapping virtual platforms for conference centres – but hybrid is now an established part of the meetings landscape, a new report has found. More than half of associations (51%) said they would be holding their largest meeting in 2023 in person, compared to 41% in 2022 and 14% in 2021. But the virtual option, which became the norm during the pandemic, was still backed by 37% of organisers, with hybrid (33%) being the preferred option, virtual-only (3%), and multi-hub hybri

Resorts World One cruise ship arrived on Tuesday (April 4) at Port of Kaohsiung for its voyage from the southern Taiwan port, CNA reported. Resorts World One has launched a Kaohsiung and Hong Kong dual home port itinerary starting from April. The cruise ship departs from Kaohsiung for Hong Kong twice a week. The 4-day, 3-night voyage departing from Kaohsiung on Monday will go to Hong Kong via Penghu, per CNA.

Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara, right, and Vice President William Lai stand beside Nara’s painting “Hazy Humid Day” at the Neiwei Arts Center in Kaohsiung yesterday, the day before the opening of the free decade-long exhibition “Traveling with Hazy Humid Day.” Nara, who is on a 19-day residency at the center, gave a lecture yesterday, his second ever in Taiwan.

For the fourth year in a row, Taiwan is the only country in Asia with an open civic space, while Myanmar, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan were downgraded, according to a report by the human rights organization Civicus.

Kaohsiung City plans to launch NT$399 (US$13.17) urban monthly commuter passes in April, allowing pass holders unlimited rides per month on the MRT, light rail, buses, ferries, public bicycles, and other public transportation.