Incheon Port Cruise Attraction Gains Momentum... Targeting 10 Ships with 13,000 Passengers Next Year

Cruise ship 'Costa Serena' that arrived in May 2018 [Provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Cruise ship attraction activities in Incheon, which had been virtually halted due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, are gradually picking up again.

On the 19th, Incheon City and the Incheon Tourism Organization announced that they have secured 10 cruise ships next year, with approximately 13,000 passengers in total.

The first cruise, carrying about 800 passengers, will visit Incheon in March, followed by two visits each in April and May, and five visits from June to October as both port of call and homeport. Among these, in May, a cruise with 2,490 passengers is scheduled for one visit, and in September and October, cruises with 3,780 passengers each are planned for one visit each.

This marks the resumption of cruise arrivals after a four-year suspension since 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19.

To attract cruises, the city has conducted business meetings at domestic and international online and offline exhibitions such as the German online fair, Miami Seatrade Cruise Global, and Jeju International Cruise Forum.

Additionally, last month, they promoted a fam tour for cruise attraction product development with Marella Cruises, a British cruise line, and Art Travel, a U.S. travel agency, and this month with Silversea Cruise, a Monaco-based luxury cruise line.

Furthermore, to raise awareness of Incheon as a cruise destination and promote port tourism, advertisements have been placed in prominent overseas media such as CIN (Cruise Industry News) and ACC (Asia Cruise Cooperation), and information about Incheon’s port and tourist sites is continuously updated and provided on the official Korean cruise travel website operated by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Thanks to these marketing efforts, following the 10 ships secured for next year, five cruise ships with about 3,900 passengers have already been secured for 2024.

The city plans to cooperate with the Incheon Tourism Organization and Incheon Port Authority to provide services such as welcome and farewell performances and experience zones when cruises arrive, operate free shuttle buses to tour major tourist and shopping spots in Incheon, and run discount promotions linked with the Incheon City Tour Bus.

Moreover, as the government is currently showing a trend toward easing cruise operation regulations, the city plans to participate in the Yeosu Korea Cruise Travel Mart held in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do on the 19th and 20th, as well as the Tokyo Port Sale and Taipei International Travel Fair in November, in preparation for the full-scale revitalization of the international cruise market.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has allowed cruise arrivals for logistics and tourism purposes since June but has not permitted passengers to disembark at ports. Starting January next year, only Korean nationals will be allowed to board cruises that use domestic ports such as Incheon Port as homeports (ports where passengers board).

However, since Incheon Port mainly operates on a model where cruises depart from foreign countries and call at Incheon as a port of call, if this government policy remains, many cruises scheduled to call at Incheon Port next year will have to cancel their operations. Nevertheless, as quarantine policies for overseas arrivals through airports are being eased, the city and industry expect cruise-related regulations to be relaxed as well.

An official from Incheon City stated, "We will carry out various marketing activities with related organizations to ensure the smooth arrival of the cruises secured for next year and to attract additional cruises. Furthermore, we will actively work on preparations to welcome cruise passengers and on plans to link tourism resources so that visitors can fully experience the charm of Incheon."

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