Busan port targets 1 million cruise tourists by 2030

The Busan Port Authority (BPA) on Tuesday unveiled its "2030 Busan Port Cruise Industry Promotion Plan," aimed at positioning Busan as the leading cruise hub in Northeast Asia and the center of South Korea's cruise industry as the global cruise market undergoes rapid growth.

The global cruise market has surpassed pre-COVID-19 levels and entered a new phase of expansion. The Asian market in particular has emerged as the fastest-growing segment, expanding 15 percent compared to last year.

In response, the BPA has been stepping up port sales efforts targeting global cruise lines, improving terminal operations through collaboration with customs, immigration and quarantine agencies, and laying the groundwork for Busan to serve as a home port.

As a result, Busan port welcomed 257,000 cruise tourists across 203 port calls last year. In the first half of this year alone, 320,000 tourists arrived on 219 calls, and the authority projects the full-year total will reach 700,000 passengers across 420 calls by year's end.

To develop Busan into a Northeast Asian cruise hub through marine tourism, the BPA has set a target of 1 million tourists across 520 port calls by 2030, along with establishing Busan as South Korea's premier cruise home port. The authority identified three core strategies: attracting cruise lines, expanding the domestic cruise base and boosting related industries.

On the cruise attraction front, the BPA plans to shift from simple port calls toward a home-port model that keeps tourists in Busan longer and has them departing from the city. It will develop more air-rail linked home-port packages in which overseas visitors fly into Incheon International Airport, tour Seoul and then travel by KTX to board their cruise in Busan.

For semi-home-port operations — where Busan serves as a departure or transit point — the authority plans to build on the MSC Bellissima service launched this year and expand to Royal Caribbean and Adora Cruises. It will also increase overnight cruise offerings by operating what it calls South Korea's first 24-hour terminal.

By year's end, the BPA will more than double the customs, immigration and quarantine zone and waiting area at the North Port cruise terminal, and will add six security screening units at a new temporary facility at the Yeongdo cruise terminal. Over the medium to long term, it plans to build a dedicated Northeast Asia gateway terminal by 2030 capable of handling home-port operations for large cruise ships carrying more than 5,000 passengers.

To broaden the domestic cruise base, the BPA will develop joint port-call packages combining Busan and Jeju — South Korea's top two cruise ports — and pursue port sales tied to international events.

The authority also plans to strengthen the cruise industry ecosystem by expanding business matchmaking sessions that connect local companies with global cruise lines and supporting overseas market entry. It will further develop regional tourism products linking Busan with Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province and North Gyeongsang Province to extend cruise tourists' stays and boost local spending.

"If Busan New Port is the logistics hub responsible for South Korea's cargo, then North Port and Yeongdo will be developed as the hub driving South Korea's cruise industry — making Busan a true Northeast Asian cruise center in every sense," BPA President Song Sang-geun said.