Gimhae City is developing port tourism products to attract cruise passengers arriving at Busan and Masan ports.
However, no contracts with travel agencies or product launches have been finalized yet, as the city is currently exploring possibilities with a goal of commercialization next year.
On September 7, Gimhae City announced its participation in a fam tour organized by Gyeongnam Province and the Gyeongnam Tourism Foundation from September 3 to 4, aimed at cruise port tour specialists.
The tour included representatives and staff from Aju Cruise, a company specializing in cruise port tours. Aju Cruise has partnerships with Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, and Royal Caribbean, and recorded approximately 30,000 port tour participants last year.
A Gimhae City tourism official stated, "Aju Cruise is examining tourist sites to expand its port tourism products from Busan to the Gyeongnam region. While no contracts have been signed yet, we hope to see Gimhae tourism products developed by next year."
Participants in the fam tour visited Gimhae Gaya Theme Park on the afternoon of September 4, where they watched the art performance 'Painters of the Gaya Kingdom' and explored key facilities, including extreme activities.
They also visited the Hanok Experience Center, the Royal Tomb of King Suro, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Daeseong-dong Ancient Tombs, and the National Gimhae Museum to survey Gimhae's historical and cultural tourism resources.
Gimhae City provided professional cultural tourism guides and supported admission to the theme park, performance viewing, and promotional materials.
During discussions with travel agencies, options for experiential products tailored to the age, interests, and travel preferences of cruise passengers were explored. Suggestions included combining traditional experiences such as tasting Jangguncha, making traditional knots, and enjoying Gaya music performances with existing tour courses.
The city also explained its incentive program for attracting cruise passengers, which has been in operation since this year at the Hanok Experience Center. Based on feedback from the fam tour, the city plans to continue offering incentives next year and refine the specific support conditions.
The tourism official noted, "We will have to see if this leads to actual contracts, as travel agencies need to visit the sites to verify the tourism resources before product development can proceed."
This fam tour was not solely organized by Gimhae City; Gyeongnam Province and the Gyeongnam Tourism Foundation invited Aju Cruise, and future fam tours for other specialized travel agencies are expected to follow.
Song Dul-soon, head of Gimhae City's tourism department, stated, "This has been an opportunity to promote the history of Gaya from 2000 and various experiential content to cruise passengers arriving at Busan and Masan ports. We will work with relevant agencies to ensure Gimhae becomes a viable cruise port tourism destination."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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