According to a report released by the Jeju Tourism Organization on Monday, the number of cruise passengers to the island in 2024 reached 640,183, a 6.4-fold increase from 100,109 in 2023.
The agency attributed the dramatic increase to the resumption of Chinese group tours on cruise ships in March 2023, following the end of COVID-19 restrictions. The number of port calls at Jeju nearly quadrupled, with 279 visits in 2023 compared to just 70 the previous year.
The number of large cruise ships of 10,000 tons or more stopping at Gangjeong near a naval base in Seogwipo on the island reached 143, while smaller pleasure ships under 10,000 tons docked 136 times at the island's main port.
Some 441,069 passengers stopped off at Gangjeong, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the total arrivals.
Cruise tourism on the island peaked with 1.2 million passengers in 2016, but sharply declined the following year amid a spat with Beijing over the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here.
The situation was further exacerbated by the ensuing coronavirus pandemic, leading to years of downturn.
The island is now forecasting over 800,000 foreign cruise passengers this year.
In 2016, over eight million Chinese tourists visited the country, and they remain the biggest spenders here, mostly splurging on cosmetics and K-pop-related merchandise.
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