Currently, the construction work is under way to open two cruise docks inside a newly operational naval base on Jeju. The construction is scheduled to be completed by July next year. (image: KobizMedia/ Korea Bizwire)
JEJU, June 2 (Korea Bizwire) – The municipality of Jeju, South Korea’s southern-most resort island, will expand its cruise terminals and release a special smartphone application for cruise travelers in an ambitious five-year plan to boost its cruise tour industry, the regional government said Wednesday.
Jeju Island seeks to draw a total of 1,000 port entries by foreign cruise ships, mostly Chinese, as well as 2.3 million cruise tourists in the five years until 2020, the provincial government said in its five-year plan aimed at turning the island into a hub for cruise tourism.
The Jeju Island expected the plan would bring in an income of 1.2 trillion won (US$1 billion), which, in turn, could be used to invigorate the local economy.
To that end, Jeju will open three more cruise docks by 2018 on top of the two terminals currently in operations here, according to the statement.
Currently, the construction work is under way to open two cruise docks inside a newly operational naval base on Jeju. The construction is scheduled to be completed by July next year. By the end of 2018, one more berth will be available at the island’s international passenger vessel terminal, according to the Jeju government.
Along with the construction plan, the municipality will also come up with a smartphone application and an Internet portal site catering to cruise travelers in order to help tourists coming to Jeju on cruise ships better navigate the resort island.
Jeju will also provide more city tour buses while expanding shopping opportunities, now limited to duty-free shops, it also noted.
The Jeju provincial government plans to forge a joint marketing campaign with other cruise tour cities, Shanghai, Tianjin and Fukuoka, according to the statement. For the five-year plan, a total budget of some 42 billion won will be injected, it also showed.
“Every effort will be poured into the plan to expand Jeju’s capability to accommodate more tourists and boost its marketing with the goal of making Jeju a hub of cruise tourism,” Yang Hee-beom, an official in charge of Jeju’s maritime business, said.
(Yonhap)
