The Costa Serena cruise ship is anchored at Sokcho Port in Gangwon Province, Tuesday. Yonhap
The government is injecting 3.4 billion won ($2.27 million) from supplementary budgets to support tourism in cruise port cities following a sharp rebound in passenger arrivals, the culture ministry said Wednesday.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, approximately 320,000 people arrived in the country aboard cruise ships during the first quarter, an 11.4 percent increase from a year earlier, while the number of cruise calls rose 50 percent year-on-year to 168. Officials project that total port calls will reach 960 by the end of this year, a 63.2 percent increase from 2025.
The government is seeking ways to ease entry procedures for cruise passengers. In February, President Lee Jae Myung chaired a tourism strategy meeting with the culture, justice and oceans ministers to discuss expanding on-board immigration checks for travelers arriving on large vessels.
To encourage passengers to spend time beyond the immediate port areas, officials plan to introduce localized tourism programs, including operating shuttle buses and launching pop-up markets for regional products, across six key destinations — Busan, Incheon, Yeosu, Sokcho, Seosan and Pohang.
The culture ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization operated "K-beauty" shuttle services when the U.S.-based Royal Caribbean ship Spectrum of the Seas docked in Busan on Tuesday with about 6,700 people on board, including 1,500 crew members.
As the ship was set to dock in Yeosu for the first time in 10 years Wednesday, authorities planned to offer a Buddhist "temple stay" program at Hwaeom Temple for foreign passengers wanting to explore more of the city.
"We aim to turn cruise tourism into a catalyst for local growth rather than a simple stopover," a ministry official said.
Source: Korea Times News
