33,000 Cruise Tourists Visited Incheon Last Year... Rising Status as a Northeast Asia Port-of-Call

Double the Number Compared to 2024
"Fly & Cruise" Marketing Drives Growth

The number of cruise tourists visiting Incheon saw a significant increase last year.

According to Incheon City on January 6, international cruise ships called at Incheon Port 32 times last year, and out of approximately 70,000 cruise passengers, 33,755 visited Incheon and enjoyed sightseeing. This represents a 107.4% increase compared to the 16,278 cruise tourists in Incheon in 2024.

The city analyzed that the increase in cruise tourists was driven by strengthening marketing efforts with Incheon Port Authority and Incheon Tourism Organization, focusing on the "Fly & Cruise" strategy. "Fly & Cruise" is a travel package where tourists enter the country through Incheon International Airport, enjoy domestic tourism, and then embark on a cruise from Incheon Port.

Last year, Incheon City expanded the "Fly & Cruise" program to three times the previous year's scale (from 5 sailings to 15 sailings) and successfully operated 12 sailings with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) homeporting in Incheon. In addition, the city established a sustainable growth foundation for the cruise industry by attracting themed cruise group tourists from North China and other initiatives.

Cruise tourists are having a joyful time at Sinpo Market in Jung-gu, Incheon. Provided by Incheon City

The city also secured 350 million won in national funding for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s "Port-of-Call Tourism Vitalization Project" for the first time. This funding was used to intensively promote events such as cruise welcome ceremonies, Incheon-style wellness experiences, city tour programs, and traditional culture activities. The city believes that strengthening on-site convenience services, such as collaborating with taxi-hailing platforms, also contributed to the increase in tourists.

The city expects the number of cruise calls to increase further this year and plans to improve its capacity, including expanding free shuttle services, while accelerating the development of tourism content unique to Incheon.

An official from Incheon City stated, "Following a clear recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, Incheon is making a full-fledged leap as a cruise hub in Northeast Asia," adding, "We will strengthen related marketing so that cruise tourists can experience Incheon as a city they want to revisit and stay in."