Attracting 1 Million Cruise Tourists Annually by 2027... Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Join Forces

Announcement of Measures to Revitalize Cruise Tourism
Opening of Saemangeum New Port Cruise Pier
Development of Brands for 7 Major Ports of Call, Achieving 280 Billion KRW in Consumer Spending

The government is preparing policies to achieve an annual target of 1 million cruise tourists visiting Korea by 2027.

A cruise passenger ship is docked at Busan Port. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced the "Cruise Tourism Revitalization Plan" on the 17th to invigorate the local economy through cruise tourism. The goal is to attract 1 million cruise tourists annually and achieve tourist spending of 279.1 billion KRW per year by expanding port and tourism infrastructure, enhancing tourism products, increasing calls at ports of call and strengthening promotion, and implementing industry-friendly systems.

Cruise tourism has recently been recognized as a solution to the concentration of inbound tourists in the metropolitan area and the crisis of coastal region extinction. The global cruise tourism market grew by 107% compared to 2019. Large cruises (over 170,000 tons) have great potential as a single call can attract 4,000 to 5,000 tourists at once to domestic coastal areas.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries selected "Cruise Tourism Revitalization" as a collaborative task through strategic personnel exchanges in April. Since then, they have gathered opinions from inbound travel agencies, cruise lines, local governments, the Korea Tourism Organization, port authorities, and other related organizations to develop a comprehensive plan to attract inbound tourists to regions and thereby revitalize the coastal regional economy.

The government plans to expand new port infrastructure such as the opening of the Saemangeum New Port cruise pier (2026) and the tentative construction of the Mukho Port International Passenger Terminal (2026). They will also investigate the cruise call conditions at national trade ports and promote the development of three coastal cruise and expedition cruise ports of call (using high-end products such as expedition cruises under 20,000 tons with a passenger capacity of 200 or less).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Along with this, to enhance tourist satisfaction and revitalize surrounding areas, existing infrastructure will be improved by extending cruise terminal operating hours, operating pop-up markets, installing 24-hour unmanned currency exchange machines, and expanding free shuttle buses between terminals and surrounding areas.

To strategically attract tourists to regions, themed brands reflecting the characteristics of seven major ports of call will be established. Specialized tourism content will be developed and commercialized for foreign tourists, and comprehensive support measures will be prepared, including support for tourism ventures and improvement of accommodation readiness.

Based on a survey of domestic port of call tourism, demand-tailored tourism products will be enhanced, and collaboration with related industries such as travel platforms will proactively foster domestic homeport and quasi-homeport products. To expand the domestic cruise market, a coastal cruise pilot project will be promoted, and for routes with proven business viability, domestic and international cruise ships and tourists will be actively attracted.

Joint agencies will establish a phased implementation plan for mid- to long-term port of call attraction activities to systematize these efforts. Utilizing the expertise of both ministries, they will expand the scope of attraction activities through joint operation of the Korean pavilion at international expos (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), ship line meetings and regional council activities (Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries), share cruise line requests, and collaborate by jointly hosting and participating in domestic and international attraction events.

Customized promotional materials will be produced for each international cruise line, and domestic and international promotional activities will be strengthened through initiatives such as operating a public cruise experience group and continuous promotion using the Korea Tourism Organization’s cruise tourism hub branches.

Port incentives for attracting cruise ships will also be strengthened. Support will be provided for business meetings to promote the supply of local specialties as cruise ship provisions. Cruise specialists such as guides and crew members will be trained to improve tourist satisfaction and strengthen industry capabilities. Additionally, the government will solidify the collaboration system among government, port-related agencies, and the industry, while expanding cooperation with related ministries such as customs, immigration, quarantine, and security.

Meanwhile, on the 17th, Deputy Minister Jang Mi-ran of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Deputy Minister Song Myeong-dal of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries visited the Diamond Princess, which docked at Busan Port, to welcome its arrival and listen to requests from cruise line officials. Afterwards, the two deputy ministers hosted a forum with industry and related organizations to share and discuss the "Cruise Tourism Revitalization Plan."

Going forward, the two ministries and related organizations plan to strengthen the cooperative system for cruise tourism revitalization through agreements and other measures.

Deputy Minister Jang Mi-ran of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated, "Through revitalizing regional tourism linked to cruises, we will attract inbound tourists to various regions of Korea with diverse attractions. We will also actively support expanding the attraction of domestic homeport products, which significantly contribute to extending domestic stays, and closely collaborate with related ministries."

Deputy Minister Song Myeong-dal of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said, "This plan, created by gathering ideas from both ministries, the industry, and related organizations, is expected to greatly help the coastal regional economy and cruise industry revitalization. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will do its best to promote cruise ship calls and increase tourists by actively pursuing infrastructure development, system improvements, and port of call promotional activities through continuous cooperation with related agencies."