Jeju Island to Launch Semi-Homeport Cruise Operations in May 2025

Korea’s Jeju Island is set to launch semi-homeport cruise operations starting in May 2025, enabling passengers to begin international voyages directly from the island. This initiative is the result of collaboration among the Jeju provincial government, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, aiming to bolster the region’s cruise tourism industry.

The first ship to operate these routes will be the China-built Adora Magic City, managed by Adora Cruises. It is expected to start sailings from Gangjeong Cruise Port (Seogwipo) on May 1, offering routes that connect Jeju with Shanghai and various Japanese ports. The planned schedule includes 33 roundtrips through the end of 2025, with cruise packages lasting 5 to 6 days for about 60 to 120 passengers.

As a semi-homeport, Jeju will facilitate both departures and arrivals, marking a significant move towards establishing a fully-fledged homeport. The provincial government has been proactive in working with immigration, customs, and quarantine authorities, as well as local shipping associations to prepare for the operations. Measures include conducting port simulations and installing unmanned immigration kiosks to streamline processing.

Recent trends indicate a resurgence in cruise tourism on Jeju Island, with numbers skyrocketing from 101,000 in 2023 to 641,000 in 2024, a staggering increase of 534.7%. The number of port calls also rose from 71 to 274 within the same timeframe, and projections for 2025 suggest around 346 port calls and approximately 800,000 visitors.

A survey from the Jeju Tourism Organization indicates that cruise passengers are reporting higher satisfaction levels than in previous years, benefiting from improved procedures related to customs and immigration. The average time spent ashore has also increased from 4.23 hours in 2023 to 5.04 hours, and officials anticipate further reductions in processing times with the full deployment of unmanned kiosks by the end of 2025.

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