From May, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Fully Operate Jeju Gangjeong Cruise Quasi-Port

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 31st that, in cooperation with Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, they will officially operate a 'cruise sub-homeport' at Jeju Gangjeong Port starting this May, where passengers can board directly and depart overseas.

A sub-homeport refers to a port where some passengers can embark and disembark, and which serves functions such as supply and tourism. Until now, South Korea's cruise tourism industry has been centered on port calls. Port calls have been criticized for limited domestic tourism time, resulting in restricted domestic consumer spending and regional economic ripple effects. In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced the 'Cruise Tourism Revitalization Plan' in June last year, selecting 'proactive development of domestic homeport and sub-homeport products' as a key promotion task.

In the case of cruise homeport and sub-homeport products, tourists can fully enjoy domestic sightseeing before departure and after arrival, which is expected to induce cruise tourists' consumer spending domestically and invigorate the regional economy. To activate sub-homeports, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plan to improve immigration procedures by installing unmanned automatic inspection gates, conducting prior consultations with customs, immigration, quarantine (CIQ) related agencies, and developing tourism programs to enhance tourist convenience. Furthermore, after piloting the cruise sub-homeport at Jeju Gangjeong Port, they plan to expand operations to other domestic cruise ports such as Jeju Port.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries are strategically exchanging officials at the director level to foster the marine and tourism industries, including the cruise industry that integrates shipping and tourism. In particular, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is discovering and commercializing distinctive marine tourism resources in eight domestic regions, including Jeju Island, as tourism content to support the expansion of stay-type tourism.

Minister Yoo In-chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, "Marine tourism, including cruises, is a key element in revitalizing new regional tourism," adding, "We will do our best to discover marine tourism content that revitalizes the regional economy, such as expanding port call tourism and selecting marine tourism themes, by actively cooperating with related ministries and local governments."

Minister Kang Do-hyung of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries stated, "The expansion of cruise sub-homeports will lead to increased regional consumer spending and sustainable growth of South Korea's cruise industry," and added, "We will continue to work closely with related agencies to ensure that cruise tourism establishes itself as a new growth engine for the regional economy."

For more details about the cruise sub-homeport, please visit the website operated by the travel agency in charge of cruise sub-homeport operations.