Kaohsiung City Government announced plans yesterday to build more hostels for backpackers as part of efforts to boost the tourism industry.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) told reporters yesterday that the city government planned to renovate the Labor Recreation Center, some buildings on the Open University campus in Xiaogang (小港) and Dasun Elementary School in Cijin (旗津) and turn them into backpakers’ hostels.
Chen said renovation of the 200-room center might be completed by the end of the year and that it mostly needed to improve its management and marketing efforts.
The center, which is close to Kaohsiung Rapid Transit System Red Line’s Shihjia (獅甲) Station, has been offering single rooms for NT$450 per night since it opened in 1982. Its occupancy rate, however, has been low.
Chen said the Open University campus was another great location because it was close to Kaohsiung International Airport, but renovation of its buildings was expected to take two years.
Building a youth hostel in Cijin could also provide backpackers with a place to spend a long vacation because Cijin has beautiful beaches and mountains, the mayor said.
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