"Next Year, 'International Cruise Ship' to Operate from Seosan Daesan Port"

by Jeong Ilwoong

Published 27 Oct.2023 13:12(KST)

International cruise ship operations will begin at Daesan Port in Seosan next May. The cruise ship is scheduled to operate on a route departing from Daesan Port, stopping at Northeast Asian ports of call, and arriving at Busan Port.

On the 27th, according to Chungnam Province, Lotte Tour Development and the shipping company Costa Korea signed the "2024 Cruise Charter Operation Agreement."

Provided by Chungnam Province

According to the agreement, the cruise ship will depart from Daesan Port in Seosan on May 8 next year with passengers onboard, stopping at Northeast Asian ports of call such as Okinawa and Miyakojima in Japan, and Keelung in Taiwan, before arriving at Busan Port on the 14th. It is a 6-night, 7-day cruise tour schedule.

The Costa Serena is a vessel 290 meters long and 35 meters wide, with a gross tonnage of 114,000 tons, capable of accommodating up to 3,780 passengers.

Onboard facilities include a grand theater, disco hall, swimming pool, restaurants, themed bars, fitness center, kids club, casino, duty-free shop, beauty salon & spa, and more.

Cruise tour packages can be purchased on the Lotte Tour Development website and platforms such as Naver.

Previously, Chungnam Province and Seosan City actively promoted the cruise ship to cruise companies and travel agencies while inspecting cruise infrastructure to attract cruise ships.

As a result, in June, Seosan City and Lotte Tour Development signed an operation agreement, achieving the actual charter operation agreement.

Even in a situation where both operators and shipping companies are reluctant to start new routes unless profitability is proven, Chungnam, a cruise tourism frontier, has established a cruise port base and achieved the fruition of cruise tourism departing from Daesan Port.