Since the deadly MERS outbreak occurred on the mainland, cruise tour patterns have changed accordingly, with routes between Korea and China stretching out to include Japan as well. While Japan is rapidly becoming an attractive port of call for cruise ships, Korea finds itself taking a hit. Lee Hee-jung joins me in the studio with more.
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Costa Serena
Sails Shanghai-Jeju-Fukuoka route

The 115,000 ton-class cruise ship, the Costa Serena, sails the route linking Shanghai and Jeju to Japan.

It has a passenger capacity exceeding 3,700. Satisfaction rates reported by Chinese tourists’ on the route are above 90%.

[INTERVIEW]
Zhangli Huanghuan / Chungking, China
My kids enjoyed the recreation facilities aboard, and they loved to eat and play there. I will take a bigger cruise ship next time when I travel with my parents.
<인터뷰:장리 황후안 중국 중경>
"아이들이 크루즈 오락시설이나 먹는 것, 노는 것 다 좋아합니다. 앞으로 어른들을 모시고 오게 되면 그때는 더 좋은 크루즈를 탈 생각입니다."

Recently in China, the cruise route visiting both Jeju and Fukuoka, Japan has become the most popular option for travelers.

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Shanghai-Jeju-Fukuoka route is most popular

The reason for this change is believed to the MERS virus outbreak. Japan’s cultural attractions, along with favorable exchange rates has made Japan more attractive to Chinese cruise tourists.

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After MERS, cruise stops at Fukuoka increased from 200 to 270

Cruise ship operations to Korea were almost stopped completely last July and August when the deadly MERS outbreak was at its peak. Meanwhile, the number of cruise ships calling at Fukuoka, Japan increased from 200 vessels up to 270 during the same period.

[camera]
Han Kyoung-yeop

The number of cruise ships calling at Fukuoka is expected to increase to around 400 next year. This means that some domestic cruise destinations including Busan, Incheon and Yeosu will be directly affected.

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‘Jeju relatively safe, Busan and Incheon to be hit hard’

Thanks to Jeju’s geographical location, Chinese cruise tourists are still happy to visit Jeju, but their next port of call would not be another region of Korea, but Japan. Jeju did feel the effects of the MERS crisis at the time, with 50 stoppings being cancelled, but more than 500 cruise ships are scheduled to visit the island next year.

[INTERVIEW]
Kim Eui-geun / Chair, Jeju Intl. Cruise Industry Assn.
It seems that Jeju’s cruise tourism was not affected by the MERS outbreak. However, I think that problems for other destinations, including Incheon and Busan, will continue for some time.
<인터뷰:김의근 제주국제크루즈산업협회 회장>
"제주는 메르스의 영향을 받지 않는 것 같아요. 그럼에도 불구하고 인천이나 부산 등 제주를 제외한 지역은 메르스로 인한 타격이 오래갈 것 같다는 생각이 듭니다."

[reporter]
Lee Hee-jung

Industry analysts project that Asia’s cruise tourism sector will see strong growth over the next five years. However, after the MERS outbreak, the ever popular Korea-China route has been knocked off its perch, replaced by a Korea-China-Japan combination. The end result is that some parts of the country will be feeling the pinch for some time to come.