Next Year, Yeosu Port's 'International Cruise Arrivals' to Double

The number of international cruises docking at Yeosu Port next year is expected to more than double compared to this year.

Yeosu City (Mayor Jeong Gi-myeong) announced on the 3rd that more than eight international cruise ships have confirmed their arrival at Yeosu Port next year, with approximately 15,000 overseas tourists expected to visit Yeosu.

Next year, more than eight international cruise ships are expected to dock at Yeosu Port, with approximately 15,000 overseas tourists visiting Yeosu. Provided by Yeosu City

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The scheduled ships include Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky, Japan's MOL's Mitsui Ocean Fuji, and Costa Cruises' Costa Serena, with many of these cruises making their first call at Yeosu Port.

This is the result of active international cruise attraction efforts such as domestic and international port sales and cruise-related exhibitions, marking the highest number of arrivals since the lifting of the international ship entry ban due to COVID-19 in 2023.

The city plans to expand administrative support for visitor convenience in line with the trend of cruise tourism shifting from group tours to individual free tours, including welcome performances for arrivals, free shuttle bus services to major tourist sites, and deployment of cultural tourism interpreters and guides.

Additionally, Yeosu Port will be promoted through port sales and familiarization tours inviting cruise officials, and efforts to attract international cruises will continue through the development of distinctive port tourism programs.

Efforts to overcome hardware limitations, such as requesting national funding for the construction of a new cruise terminal, are also ongoing.

According to the city, the Yeosu Expo Passenger Terminal, which serves as the cruise terminal, is the only one among Korea's five major ports of call where the entry and exit routes for passengers are not separated, causing inconvenience as the system must be adjusted according to the timing of arrivals and departures. Additionally, the size of the waiting area is relatively small considering the trend toward larger cruise ships.

A city official stated, "Yeosu Port is gaining new attention as a Korean port of call and is being chosen by various international cruise lines. We will do our best to improve the reception system for smooth cruise arrivals." He added, "We will promote Yeosu in overseas markets through diverse marketing efforts and consider ways to revitalize the local economy by developing high value-added port tourism products."

Meanwhile, according to the 2019 "Survey on Foreign Cruise Tourists" published by the Korea Tourism Organization, Yeosu Port ranked high in cruise market potential index, second only to Jeju Port, and was evaluated as having the highest potential among Korea's five major ports of call, with 80.5% of respondents expressing intention to revisit Korea within three years and 82.9% willing to recommend it as a cruise destination.

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