▲ This photo shows cruise tourists visiting Jeju after a long time. (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Mar. 26 (Yonhap) -- Expectations for the revitalization of cruise tourism, which had been stagnant due to COVID-19, are growing in Jeju Island, with five international cruise ships entering Jeju Port in March alone.

 

Jeju Island has announced on Sunday that five international cruise ships entered Jeju Port in March alone, attracting more than 6,200 people.

 

Starting with AMADEA on the 16th, MS NAUTICA on the 17th, SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER on the 21st, MS WESTERDAM on the 24th, and SILVER WHISPER on the 25th entered Jeju Port.

 

In particular, the Dutch-registered MS WESTERDAM, which visited Jeju on the 24th, is an 82,000-ton luxury cruise ship, the largest among the five ships.

 

More than 2,600 passengers from North America and Europe, including the United States and Australia, entered Jeju Port and stayed in Jeju for about nine hours.

 

Many of the cruise passengers visited famous tourist attractions in Jeju, including Hallim Park, Haenyeo Museum, Seongeup Folk Village, and Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone.

 

Other tourists reportedly enjoyed free travel in the original downtown of Jeju City, including Jeju Mokgwanah, Jungang Underground Shopping Center, and Dongmun Market.

 

Jeong Jae-cheol, director of Jeju Island's Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Bureau, said, "After COVID-19, we are looking forward to revitalizing cruise tourism," adding, "We will focus our capabilities on revitalizing the local economy through cooperation with related departments."

 

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Yunhee Cho.)

 

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