Incheon Port Records 99 Cruise Calls Through October, Highest Since Opening...

Passenger numbers top 200,000... 113 cruise ship calls expected by year-end

The number of cruise ship calls at Incheon Port this year has reached a record high since the port opened.

According to the Incheon Port Authority (IPA), 99 cruise ships had called at Incheon Port by the end of October. This surpassed the previous record of 95 calls, set in 2013, for the first time in 13 years.

The number of passengers also reached 200,303 when the Vizio, operated by Tianjin Dongfang International Cruise, arrived on November 8, surpassing the previous record of 183,909 passengers set in 2014.

By the end of this year, 113 cruise ships are expected to call at Incheon Port, more than three times the 32 calls recorded last year. Next year, 132 calls are scheduled, up from this year.

Cruise ships calling at Incheon recorded 95 calls in 2013, 92 in 2014, 53 in 2015 and 62 in 2016. After operations were completely suspended from 2020 to 2022 due to COVID-19, the number stood at just 12 calls in 2023, 15 in 2024 and 32 last year.

MSC Bellissima docked at Incheon Port Cruise Terminal. Photo courtesy of Incheon Port Authority.

Meanwhile, the number of fly-and-cruise homeport calls, where passengers fly to a port of departure and then board a cruise ship for sightseeing, is expected to increase from 11 this year to 18 next year. Compared with port calls that involve a brief stop at one of several destinations, homeport calls bring in more than twice as many passengers embarking and disembarking, and are considered to generate greater additional economic benefits through lodging and tourism.

To prepare for the continued increase in cruise ship arrivals, the IPA plans to reinforce terminal operations and security staffing and work with customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) agencies to improve passenger flows and shorten processing times.

IPA President Park Inseo said, "Achieving the highest cruise traffic in Incheon Port's history by the end of last month is a result of the joint efforts of cruise lines, CIQ agencies and local governments. With 18 homeport calls scheduled for next year, when passengers will embark here to begin their cruises, we will work to improve services, including passenger processing and baggage handling."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.