By Kayla Lee

 

The Adora Magic City, a 130,000-ton cruise ship built by China, arrived in Jeju for the first time on Dec. 28, 2023.

 

 

The number of international cruise ships to and from Jeju in 2024, including this one, is expected to more than double after visiting Gangjeong Village about 80 times in 2023, raising expectations in the tourism industry.

 

At around 11:30 a.m. on this day, Jeju Complex Tourism Port in Gangjeong-dong, Seogwipo City, was bustling with 2,600 passengers on the Adora Magic City, which arrived in Jeju from Shanghai, China, via Kagoshima, Japan.

 

 

The passengers were immediately transferred to the Seogwipo cruise ship dock, where they were welcomed with a traditional Korean folklore performance and a gift presentation ceremony to commemorate their visit to Jeju.

 

The passengers stayed on Jeju for about eight hours, visiting Oedolgae and Seong-eup Folk Village, Jeju Mythology World, and the Seogwipo Citrus Museum, and then enjoyed shopping at Seogwipo Daily Olle Market and exploring the original city center before returning to Shanghai, China.

 

 

The Adora Magic City, China's first large domestic cruise ship built last year, is 322.6 meters long, 135,500 gross tons, and nearly as tall as a 24-story building. It can accommodate up to 6500 persons, including 5246 passengers in over 2000 cabins.

 

This is the first time the cruise ship has called on Jeju, and it will make about 80 calls to the Jeju Min-Gun Complex tourist port this year, including another visit on January 2 for a two-night stay.

 

 

In addition to the Adora Magic City, a total of 25 international cruise ships operated by 20 different carriers will visit Jeju 204 times this year (98 at Jeju Port and 106 at Seogwipo Port).

 

As of Jan. 5, this is 2.6 times more than the number of international cruise ship calls to Jeju this year (77).

 

Jeju Island expects a full-fledged cruise market to form this year, just like in 2016, when cruise ships called on Jeju the most (507 times).

 

 

Kim Hee-hyun, vice governor of Jeju Island, said that Jeju Island's mixed civil-military tourism port is more meaningful because it is a tourism center that connects the world and Jeju, and is becoming the No. 1 cruise port in Asia. In addition, the Jeju provincial government said it will realize jobs and revenue generation linked to the cruise terminal and grow it as a model for the cruise industry that coexists with the local economy. 
 

"We will focus our capabilities to help revitalize the local economy through cruises," said Jeong Jae-cheol, head of the provincial Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Bureau. "Furthermore, we will strive to recapture the No. 1 port of call in Asia and establish Jeju as a semi-home port in the future."
 

"We expect not only small cruise ships but also semi-large cruise ships such as the Adora Magic City to visit Jeju," said Lee Sun-hong, PM of Jeju Tourism Organization. "As cruise tourism products are revitalized, we will do our best to ensure that the effects return to Jeju."