Incheon Port is experiencing its largest cruise boom since opening, as Chinese cruise ships diverted from Japan following Beijing's travel restrictions have turned the port into Northeast Asia's premier destination.
According to Incheon Metropolitan City and Incheon Port Authority (IPA) on the 15th, cruise calls at Incheon Port are projected to reach a record 132 voyages this year, with approximately 400,000 passengers. These figures represent an 11-fold and 62-fold increase respectively from three years ago, when only 12 voyages carried 6,526 passengers. The number of voyages exceeds the previous record of 95 in 2013 by 39%, while passenger volume more than doubles the 2014 figure of 184,000.
IPA confirmed total cruise passengers this year at 404,266, with only 1.5% of the 410,459 available seats remaining empty. Including approximately 129,000 crew members, total passengers using Incheon Port exceeds 530,000—meaning more than 500,000 people annually pass through the port by cruise ship in a city of 3 million.
The primary growth driver is the Chinese market. Of the 132 voyages, 107 (81%) originate from China, as routes shifted to Incheon from Japan following the cooling of China-Japan relations late last year. Notably, Tianjin Oriental International Cruise Lines expanded operations more than fourfold this year after high satisfaction ratings from its first Incheon port call last year.
Incheon City and IPA are simultaneously upgrading three pillars: attraction, content, and infrastructure in response to surging cruise demand.
The attraction strategy is being elevated to government-level participation. The "Shanghai Port Sales" event, previously hosted solely by Incheon City and IPA, will expand to a joint event led by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, with target regions extending to Japan and Europe. The port plans to set up booths at major international events including Seatrade Cruise Global in the United States, Jeju International Cruise Expo, and Shanghai International Cruise Summit.
Port-of-call content will be differentiated between group and individual tourism. Group tours will feature enhanced familiarization tours centered on experiences such as brewing, crafts, and wellness, with expanded support for tours to underutilized areas including Ganghwa and Yeongjong. For individual tourists, multilingual guides will be stationed at terminals, and new walking courses will be developed for the Sinpo and Songdo districts. Starting in June, "cruise coupon events" will operate in Songdo and the Open Port commercial district, with tourism activation linked to local festivals such as the Jajangmyeon Festival under consideration.
A new farewell program introduced this year draws attention. Local cultural performances will be presented at the pier during major departures, benchmarking Yokohama's "yellow handkerchief farewell" and Kanazawa's traditional instrument performances in Japan. This reflects the overseas cruise port philosophy that "the last impression determines revisits."
The user environment will also see significant improvements. Free shuttle buses will be flexibly dispatched based on arrival scale, connecting Songdo and Sinpo routes. New support will be provided for dedicated luggage porters, and terminal signage will be upgraded. Double-decker buses will be deployed on city tour special routes according to cruise size.
This project marks the first-year implementation of the "Second Five-Year Plan for Cruise Industry Development (2026-2030)." An IPA official said, "The ultimate goal is to move away from dependence on China-originating routes and make Incheon itself a cruise destination. Once the farewell program and port-of-call content are established, cruise lines will recognize Incheon as an indispensable regular port of call."
However, structural vulnerabilities remain. With more than 80% of this year's voyages concentrated on China-originating routes, there is risk that routes could shift back to Japan if China-Japan relations improve. An industry official suggested, "We need to create reasons why 'it has to be Incheon' through farewell performances and experiential content, and diversify the portfolio by developing homeport cruises and Western routes so Incheon Port can become a self-sustaining hub."