Gangwon-do Tourism Foundation Confirms Hosting 5th Cruise Call at Sokcho Port in 2023
Planning 'Fly-Cruise' Linking Yangyang International Airport and Cruise Port
[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Gangwon Province is resuming its cruise business, which had been halted for three years since 2020.
According to the Gangwon Tourism Foundation on the 10th, it has confirmed the arrival of five cruise calls at Sokcho Port in 2023 and will officially launch the cruise business with Sokcho as the homeport.
In May next year, the 110,000-ton cruise ship "Costa Serena" will operate three voyages from Sokcho Port as its homeport, sailing to two countries in the East Sea Rim region, including Japan and Russia.
The "Costa Serena" is a cruise ship that Lotte Tour Development has operated annually with Sokcho as its homeport.
The foundation plans to launch a "Fly-Cruise" package connecting Yangyang International Airport and Sokcho International Cruise Port, linked with the "Fly Gangwon" airline route, which is scheduled to resume international flights next month.
Additionally, two world cruise ships will arrive at Sokcho Port carrying foreign tourists.
Silver Sea Cruises' "Silver Whisper" and the German-flagged cruise ship "Amadea" are scheduled to call at Sokcho Port in March and April next year, respectively.
Silver Sea Cruises, which previously called at Sokcho Port once in 2019, is revisiting after three years, raising expectations for a boom in Sokcho Port's cruise business.
Meanwhile, the foundation participated in the "2022 Seatrade Cruise Global Expo" held in the United States from April 25 to 28 to promote the excellence of Gangwon Province's cruise tourism and conduct marketing to attract cruise calls.
To promote Sokcho, one of the five major domestic cruise ports (Busan, Incheon, Sokcho, Yeosu, Jeju), the foundation engaged in close networking activities, including pre-arranging meetings with executives of major cruise lines.
In particular, it focused on differentiated promotional strategies reflecting post-COVID cruise tourism trends such as small-scale customized, luxury, and ESG cruises to highlight the appeal of Gangwon tourism.
In the second half of this year, the foundation plans to expand cruise line attraction by conducting familiarization tours of Sokcho Port and nearby tourist sites for prominent overseas cruise line officials.
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