South Korea will intensify overseas promotion marketing efforts and build more maritime facilities in an effort to lure 2 million cruise tourists from all over the world, the government said Monday.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it will hold the so-called "Port Sales" event in cities of the United States, China and Japan starting from March, with major cruise liners and travel agencies attending.
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(Yonhap) |
It will also build five additional cruise docks in four seaports including Busan and Incheon, adding to the current six, and expand passenger terminals there in a bid to absorb the growing number of cruise passengers.
The cruise industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in Asia on the back of massive demand from China.
A total of 1.95 million tourists visited South Korea through the cruise line in 2016 with 791 port entries. For 2017, the South Korean government is expected to attract more than 2 million cruise tourists with 986 arrivals.
Since 2010, the number of cruise travelers to South Korea has increased at an annual rate of 47 percent, with the figure topping 1 million in 2015 for the first time. (Yonhap)