Premier Chen Chien-jen on Monday attended the opening ceremony for Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal and welcomed the berthing of the facility's first cruise ships. The premier said the terminal can accommodate the world's largest 250,000 ton cruise ships and is fitted out with smart sensors and other electronic equipment to facilitate rapid customs clearance for disembarking passengers.
The Port of Kaohsiung has a 160-year history and is a major Asian shipping hub as well as Taiwan's largest port, the premier said. It boasts comprehensive onshore and harbor facilities and accounts for 70% of Taiwan's annual volume of freight shipping. With the nationwide cruise market continuously expanding in recent years, the government seeks to further boost the port's competitiveness and spur on the development of Taiwan's tourism industry. To attract more international tourists, the Tourism Bureau in 2022 updated its incentives program for the promotion of visits by foreign cruise ships, and the government invested NT$4.5 billion (US$147 million) to build Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal.
In addition, the government last month approved the phase one construction plan for a new NT$88 billion (US$2.9 billion) passenger terminal at Kaohsiung International Airport, which together with Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal will transform the city into a high-quality maritime and air transport hub.