Incheon Port opened its brand new cruise terminal on Friday. The new terminal is the largest in Korea and the first in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Lee Min-sun went to the opening ceremony and files this report. The largest cruise terminal in Korea opened on Friday night in the city of Incheon.
Located in the Songdo district of the city, the two-story terminal can accommodate the world's largest cruise ship which can hold more than 9-thousand passengers.
Korea already has cruise terminals in the port cities of Busan and Sokcho and two terminals on Jeju Island, but this new terminal is the first cruise terminal in the capital area.

Incheon Port Authority held a ceremony to celebrate the first voyage from the terminal by the Costa Serena cruise ship. The ship is carrying some 2-thousand 8-hundred passengers on a six-day trip to Shanghai and Fukuoka.



"The new cruise terminal is located in Incheon, which is a very accessible port city and capable of handling larger numbers of visitors in comparison to other locations. As such, it will contribute to the vitalization of the local economy, with even more passengers expected to arrive as soon as Korea-China ties improve."

The terminal operators and government officials also signed a memorandum of understanding with local tour agencies to work together to increase cruise tourism.


"With the new cruise terminal in full operation, the city of Incheon hopes to attract more cruise ships and become a hub for cruise tourism in Asia."
Lee Min-sun, Arirang News, Incheon.