First Worldwide Cruise of the Year Arrives: 2,000 European Passengers on AIDAdiva Tour Busan

New 69,000-Ton Cruise Ship Arrives at Busan Port
Departed Germany Last Year, Sailing for 133 Days
Busan Cruise Routes Diversify from Northeast Asia to Worldwide Ports

The worldwide cruise ship 'AIDAdiva', which visits major ports around the globe, arrived at Busan Port at 8 a.m. on January 12. It is the first worldwide cruise ship to visit Busan Port this year.

The AIDAdiva, which offers cruise itineraries around the world, visited Busan for the first time on this day, carrying over 2,000 passengers. Worldwide cruises operate long-distance routes connecting multiple continents and countries. This visit is seen as an example of diversifying Busan's cruise routes, which have mainly focused on Northeast Asia.

The AIDAdiva is a 69,000-ton cruise ship operated by the German company AIDA Cruises. It departed from the Port of Hamburg in Germany on November 20 last year and is currently on a 133-day journey that includes stops in Canada, the United States, Portugal, Japan, and Taiwan. After leaving its previous port of call, Honolulu, United States, at 2 a.m. on January 1, it arrived in Busan on this day and is scheduled to depart for Tokyo, Japan, at 6 p.m.

Worldwide cruise ship "AIDAdiva".

The majority of passengers visiting Busan this time are reportedly European nationals, mainly from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. They plan to tour major attractions in Busan, including Beomeosa Temple, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, Gamcheon Culture Village, and Jagalchi Market.

To commemorate the AIDAdiva's first arrival, the Busan Metropolitan Government held a welcome event at 9 a.m. at the North Port Cruise Terminal. During the event, a commemorative plaque was presented to the cruise line representatives, and K-pop dance and traditional music and dance performances were held in the terminal area. As the terminal interior is a restricted security zone, the event was held privately.

Last year, the city laid the groundwork to become an international cruise homeport city by establishing a homeport operation system for the large cruise ship MSC Bellissima through its cruise tourism revitalization policy. A homeport is a port where, in addition to serving as a port of call, some passengers embark and disembark.

Building on this momentum, Busan plans to continue its cruise tourism revitalization initiatives this year, focusing on establishing homeport infrastructure, expanding shore excursion content, and improving convenience for tourists. The city expects the number of cruise ship arrivals from China to increase from 8 last year to 173 this year, with a total of 420 cruise ship calls and approximately 900,000 tourists expected to visit Busan Port in 2026.

Busan Mayor Park Hyungjoon said, "We welcome the arrival of worldwide cruise ships," adding, "We will ensure that cruise tourists can fully experience the charm of Busan by enhancing differentiated shore excursion content and improving infrastructure."