Large Cruise Ship 'Costa Serena' Carrying 1,100 Tourists
Pohang City Supports Passenger Convenience and Promotes Major Tourist Attractions and Local Specialties
Pohang City announced that the large cruise ship Costa Serena, carrying 1,100 tourists, departed from Yeongilman Port on the 24th, heading to Otaru Port in Japan.
The Costa Serena, a vessel belonging to the Italian cruise line Costa Cruises, is a large cruise ship with a gross tonnage of 114,000 tons and a length of 290 meters. Before departure, about 500 tourists who boarded in Hong Kong entered Korea through Yeongilman Port.
Departing on Christmas Eve, the Costa Serena will follow a 5-night, 6-day itinerary, stopping at Otaru, Sapporo, and Hakodate in the Hokkaido region of Japan before returning to Korea on the 29th.
Notably, during this cruise trip, a famous domestic trot singer will perform onboard, providing cruise passengers with joyful Christmas memories.
Pohang City signed a business agreement with Lotte JTB, the operator of the Costa Serena, in August this year to revitalize the cruise tourism industry at Yeongilman Port and has been promoting cruise operations with Yeongilman Port as the home port.
Additionally, a temporary passenger waiting area was set up in a gymnasium near the port to support the convenience of the large number of passengers, and a venue was created to promote and sell Pohang’s major tourist attractions and the specialty product Gwamegi.
On this day, Vice Mayor Jang Sang-gil visited the Costa Serena at Yeongilman Port to meet with the ship’s captain and cruise officials to welcome the arrival.
Vice Mayor Jang said, “I ask that passengers have an enjoyable and safe cruise trip,” and added, “Pohang is a city with beautiful coastlines and various sights and foods, so I hope visitors come to Pohang often.”
Captain Viscafe Paolo of the Costa Serena said, “This is already the second time Costa Serena has called at Yeongilman Port, and we are aware that the port’s depth and pier facilities allow large cruise ships to safely dock and depart,” adding, “The port services such as pilotage and tugboats were better than those at other ports.”
Vice Mayor Jang Sang-gil is exchanging souvenirs with Patricia, the hotel director, in the main hall of the large cruise ship Costa Serena departing from Yeongilman Port on the 24th. Photo by Pohang City
This year, Pohang City was selected as one of Korea’s seven major cruise ports along with Busan and Jeju Island. While securing budgets from central government agencies, Pohang plans to continuously promote Yeongilman Port through port sales by meeting with cruise lines and cruise-specialized travel agencies from Japan, China, and other countries to attract home port operations and expand port calls.
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