By Eryk Michael Smith/KHT Staff. Images via KH City Govt.
KAOHSIUNG — Kaohsiung spends plenty of time telling the world it has changed. Many here will be happy to hear that now, an international travel magazine is saying it for us.
Business Traveller posted a feature titled “Why Kaohsiung is on Our Radar” on Aug. 14, opening with a verdict likely to please anyone tired of seeing the city treated as Taipei’s industrial cousin.
Kaohsiung, writer Steve White said, is “no longer playing catch-up with Taipei.”
The article focuses heavily on the roughly 600-hectare Asia New Bay Area (亞洲新灣區), describing the former industrial waterfront as largely realized rather than still waiting for its promised transformation.
What sets Kaohsiung apart from Taipei? It’s not a lack of overlap but a difference in pace and positioning
Business Traveller Magazine
The article identifies three major waterfront venues as anchors of that change: the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center (高雄展覽館), Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal (高雄港旅運中心) and Kaohsiung Music Center (高雄流行音樂中心).
The magazine noted that the exhibition center provides more than 25,000 square meters of indoor and outdoor space and has hosted events including the Smart City Summit & Expo and Wind Energy Asia.
It also highlighted the technology and investment activity developing around Kaohsiung Software Park (高雄軟體園區), including Hon Hai’s work in artificial intelligence and connected devices.
The story did not limit itself to convention halls and technology projects. It pointed to the Pier-2 Art Center (駁二藝術特區) as an example of the city finding new uses for its industrial past, with former warehouses now housing exhibitions, public art, independent shops, and cultural businesses.
Around Sanduo Shopping District (三多商圈), the magazine highlighted the arrival or expansion of higher-end hotel brands, including The Amnis (然一酒店), InterContinental Kaohsiung and Hotel Nikko Kaohsiung.
Regional connections from Kaohsiung International Airport were another part of the argument. The article pointed to direct links with Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Okinawa, along with an MRT ride of about 15 minutes between the airport and the Asia New Bay Area.
Its comparison with Taipei was less about declaring one city better than the other and more about identifying a different pace and development model. Kaohsiung, the article said, combines efficient transportation, food and access to nature with more room for large-scale projects.
The magazine concluded that Kaohsiung should be viewed “less as an alternative and more as a city on its own trajectory.”
