South

The Tainan Tourism Bureau (台南市政府觀光旅遊局) said it has trained seven certified sign-language guides, including two with Class B sign-language interpreter certification. The guides are expected to join the city’s walking-tour program, beginning with the Confucius Temple route, which links several major cultural sites in central Tainan.

The Pingtung Department of Transportation and Tourism (屏東縣政府交通旅遊處), citing Tourism Administration figures, said South Korean visitors made up nearly 12% of all arrivals to Taiwan last year. About 116,000 South Korean travelers visited Pingtung, the department said.

The county government said illegal operators have used methods including blacking out license plates, covering waste with clean soil, and falsifying documents to disguise dumping. Pingtung County Magistrate Chou Chun-mi (周春米) said the bureau has introduced an AI recognition system this year to improve monitoring in remote dumping hot spots. The county has installed 50 AI surveillance cameras at 25 high-risk locations, allowing the system to automatically flag suspicious vehicles or dumping behavior around the clock.

Nantzikeng Sports Center (楠仔坑運動中心) in Nanzih District (楠梓) began trial operations Sunday. During the trial period, the center is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The fitness center and swimming pool are closed for cleaning from noon to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

According to recent reporting, there are estimates that by 2051, daily passenger volume at the future HSR Pingtung station could exceed 7,000, with peak-hour traffic approaching 900 passengers. Supporters say the project would improve access to Pingtung and support wider development around the future station. But the latest traffic projections show that the benefits of high-speed rail will depend not only on the rail line itself, but also on whether local roads and connecting transport can keep pace.