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.

Asia has always been a strong player on the international meetings and events circuit – and there are signs the region’s post-pandemic recovery is gathering pace. China reopened its borders to international visitors last month, giving a huge boost to the region’s meetings and events industry, which was effectively locked down for two years.

What are the most effective ways to attract attendees to business-to-business exhibitions? A new report from the Center for Exhibition Research examines the metrics behind current methods of rebuilding an audience base in today’s difficult business conditions. This is the first of a series of CEIR projects designed to give organisers and stakeholders insights that will help them recover and to surpass their 2019 performance.

A survey shows that the top three reasons that motivate tourists to visit Taiwan are cuisine, the outdoors, and good public safety. Lion Travel Service’s Xinmedia on Monday (March 6) released survey results from 3,000 tourists on why they want to visit Taiwan, CNA reported. The respondents were from China, Europe, the U.S., Northeast Asia, and Southeast Asia.

To attract international tourists, the Taipei City Government Department of Information and Tourism (DOIT) announced Saturday (Feb. 25) that travelers in Taipei will receive tickets to double-decker tour buses. In a press release, the DOIT wrote that between March 14 and June 30, international travelers who check in at participating hotels for two nights, cruise passengers, or European tourists staying in the city for over 15 hours will receive the welcome gift.

In the 2023 Index of Economic Freedom, Taiwan is ranked fourth best in the world, its top result since records began in 1995. The nation’s overall economic freedom score of 80.7 put it in second place out of 39 economies in the Asia-Pacific region, just behind Singapore, which was in first place globally with a score of 83.9. Switzerland and Ireland were second and third, respectively.