Busan is good

Cruise tourists to Busan on the rise this year

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The above pictures show the cruise ships recently docked at Busan Port - Statendam (Left), Pacific Venus, Legend of the Seas, and Rhapsody of the Seas (Right from above)

 

In 2010, international cruise ships will visit Busan a total of 78 times, bringing over about 150,000 tourists to explore our city. The number of cruise tourists will therefore increase 335% compared with the 34,417 cruise tourists who came last year, and the number of cruise ships docking at Busan Port will rise by more than 150%, with 47 more ships docking than the 31 that docked last year. This year will be the busiest year ever since the opening of Busan Port, and shows that Busan City is emerging as a hub of cruise tourism in Northeast Asia.

 

In particular, popular cruise ships run by Royal Caribbean and Costa Cruise Line, the largest cruise ship operators in the world, will dock at Busan Port 28 times. 

 

Royal Caribbean International, a Miami, Florida-based cruise-line brand owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., will run its 69,130 ton-class Legend of the Sea cruise from Busan, with stops in Shanghai, Nagasaki, Kagoshima and Fukuoka, before returning to Busan. The cruise ship is capable of carrying 2,066 passengers.

 

Costa Cruises is an Italian cruise-line operation with 16 cruise ships, the biggest cruise company in Europe. Its 52,926-ton Costa Classica Cruise with accommodation for 1,600 guests will operate a roundtrip cruise from Busan calling on Shanghai, Fukuoka, and Gagoshima from July through August, and its 53,049-ton Costa Romantica Cruise with 1,600 guests will make the roundtrip from Busan calling on Jeju and Fukuoka before coming back to Busan.

 

In addition to these popular cruise ships, other large and small cruise ships are scheduled to visit Busan during the year.

 

Therefore, to make Busan a hub of cruise tourism in Northeast Asia, Busan City, Busan Port Authority, Busan Customs Office, the Immigration Office and other related agencies are working co-operatively to support cruise tourists from the moment of their arrival to their departure, to ensure their maximum convenience.

 

A tourist information center is located in the cruise terminal and a shuttle bus service runs from the cruise terminal to Busan Station and to the downtown area of Nampo-dong, in Jung-gu District. Cruise ‘welcome events’ will be diversified according to the type of cruise in port and the nationalities of the tourists.

 

Busan-based tourism and academic communities have also announced that they will cooperate to boost cruise tourism in Busan. 

 

Cruise tourists can get discounts on accommodation, restaurants and the Busan City Tour

- 10 hotels, including the Westin Chosun and Paradise Hotel, are offering up to 70 percent off standard rates and there will be a 5 to 10 percent discount offered at 46 restaurants recommended by the Korea Restaurant Association, as well as a 20 percent discount on the Busan City Tour.

 

A ‘Cruise Buddy’ program will be run by student volunteers from the Pusan University of Foreign Studies who can speak foreign languages. They will work as tourist guides, as well as for the shuttle bus operation and at the ‘welcome events’. 

 

A city official of the Tourism Promotion Division said. “This year’s tremendous increase in the number of international cruise ships visiting Busan shows that cruise tourists are attracted to the city of Busan. We will make our best effort to make cruise tourists enjoy their time in Busan free of inconvenience.”