Promotion of Incheon Port Coastal Passenger Revitalization Project... Incheon~Jeju Passenger Ferry Resumes in September

Coastal Passenger Numbers: 1,004,000 in 2013 → 760,000 Last Year
Pier and Terminal Facility Maintenance and Introduction of Attraction Facilities to Revitalize Surrounding Areas

The former Incheon Port 1st International Passenger Terminal converted into a coastal passenger terminal
[Photo provided by Incheon Port Authority]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon Port Authority announced on the 25th that it will promote a comprehensive plan utilizing the old 1st International Passenger Terminal and the coastal passenger terminal to increase coastal passenger traffic and revitalize the surrounding areas of the coastal pier.

Responding to the increasing trend of coastal tourism demand until before the COVID-19 pandemic, the authority revised the port facility operation regulations in March this year and converted the old 1st International Passenger Pier into a coastal passenger pier.

In April, a task force (TF) for revitalizing coastal passenger traffic was formed, and detailed business plans and implementation systems were established.

Accordingly, the authority is promoting the Incheon Port Coastal Passenger Revitalization Project to ensure the safety of coastal passengers and improve coastal passenger infrastructure in line with the increase in demand for Incheon Port coastal passengers and the enlargement of passenger ships such as the Incheon-Jeju 'Beyond Trust'.

First, with the resumption of the Incheon-Jeju passenger ship service in September this year after 7 years, they plan to create new passengers through facility maintenance so that passengers and ships can use the terminal and pier safely and comfortably.

They also decided to improve coastal passenger services by preparing a comprehensive operation plan for Incheon Port coastal passenger facilities, including the old 1st International Pier and Terminal as well as the current coastal passenger pier and terminal.

Regarding the pier, they will promote rearrangement considering ship size and facility specifications, and for the passenger terminal, a service will be commissioned this month to prepare a comprehensive and rational utilization plan for the old 1st International Passenger Terminal and the current coastal passenger terminal facilities.

Along with this, they plan to introduce new attraction function facilities by utilizing spare spaces such as the 3rd and 4th floors of the old 1st International Passenger Terminal to increase foot traffic and contribute to revitalizing the surrounding area.

The annual number of coastal passengers at Incheon Port reached 1 million for the first time in history in 2013, but decreased to 840,000 after the suspension of the Jeju route due to the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014.

Since then, it steadily increased from 2015, reaching 1,004,000 in 2019, but dropped to 763,000 last year due to the impact of COVID-19. This year, until April, it shows a 7% increase compared to the same period last year.

The authority expects the annual number of coastal passengers to recover to the 1 million level once the effect of COVID-19 vaccination appears and the Incheon-Jeju passenger ship service resumes in September.

Lee Jeonghaeng, Vice President of Operations at Incheon Port Authority, said, "We will prepare pier and terminal facilities to ensure there is no disruption in the launch of the Incheon-Jeju passenger ship," adding, "As interest in domestic island tourism has increased rather than international passenger ship tourism due to COVID-19, we will join forces to increase coastal passenger traffic and revitalize the surrounding areas."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.