상반기 부산항 크루즈 관광 '최대' / KNN

#KNNNews #Busan #NorthPort #Yeongdo #Cruise #Tourism [Anchor] If you pass through the North Port or Yeongdo area in Busan these days, you have likely seen many cruise ships of a size that naturally elicits admiration. With the explosive increase in cruise tourists this year, over 320,000 people visited Busan Port in the first half of the year alone, breaking records daily for the highest number of visitors since the port opened. Reporter Choi Han-sol covered the story. [Reporter] As night deepens, groups of foreigners with excited expressions pour out of the Busan North Port Cruise Terminal. Then, they climb Mt. Hwangnyeong to fully enjoy the night view of Busan. {Tom/Canada (Last February)/"It is completely different from the city experienced during the day. I climbed Mt. Hwangnyeong to see the city's night view and breathe in the fresh air, and the surrounding natural environment is special."} This is a night tour introduced for the first time this year, targeting cruise tourists staying at Busan Port for two days and one night. The coordinated efforts of relevant agencies to showcase the diverse charms of Busan have yielded notable results. In the first half of this year alone, approximately 320,000 people visited Busan Port via cruise on 219 voyages, surpassing the total number of visitors for the entire year of 2022, which was around 250,000. "Buoyed by this explosive growth, the Busan Port Authority (BPA) forecasts that around 700,000 people will visit Busan via cruise on 420 voyages by the end of this year. This is expected to mark the highest performance since the opening of Busan Port." As the Asian market grew by 15% compared to last year, the number of times global shipping companies have selected Busan as a port of call has also increased significantly. Another reason is the substantial increase in Chinese tourists visiting Korea due to the impact of deteriorating relations between China and Japan. Busan Port Authority (BPA) aims to capitalize on this momentum to usher in an era of one million cruise tourists. {Song Sang-geun / President of Busan Port Authority / "If we offer overnight cruises, homeport cruises, or cruises integrated with air and rail travel, tourists can fully enjoy sightseeing in the Seoul metropolitan area, arrive in Busan via Gimhae Airport or KTX for about two nights and three days of sightseeing, and then take a cruise. Therefore, (the revitalization of the cruise industry is possible)."} He also announced that he will invest 5.7 billion won by the end of this year to expand CIQ facilities and improve security at the North Port and Yeongdo Cruise Terminals, thereby laying the foundation for full-scale tourism in Busan. This is Choi Han-sol from KNN. Video Coverage: Jeon Jae-hyun Tip-offs KakaoTalk: Add 'KNN' as a friend Email: [email protected] [email protected] Website: www.knn.co.kr Search: KNN