Cruise ship arrivals in Korea approach 1.3 million in first eight months
Korea welcomed about 1.28 million cruise passengers and crew from January to August, a 12 % rise year-on-year, led mainly by Chinese visitors.
Data from the Korea Tourism Organization show that foreign cruise ship guests reached 1.28 million in the Jan-Aug period, up 12 % from the previous year. Chinese nationals made up 57.7 % of those arrivals. Seogwipo on Jeju Island handled more than half of the sea-borne tourists. With 148 ship calls slated for the fourth quarter, total yearly arrivals could exceed 2 million, surpassing last year’s record of 1.6 million.
Why it matters
Rising cruise tourism signals strong demand for Korea’s ports and could boost the national travel economy.
In this story
cruise ship visitorsKorea tourismChinese touristsSeogwipo portpassenger arrivals1.28 million12 percent increase2 million forecast
