The wave of Chinese incentive tour groups arriving by cruise ship began last May with a group of 284 employees from a biotech company who visited Busan and Jeju. Last month, incentive tour groups of over 200 people each from two insurance companies visited Seoul and Jeju by cruise ship.
Chinese incentive travel groups arriving in Korea by cruise ship, which began in the hundreds, are now growing to the thousands. Last month, a 5,128-member incentive travel group from a Chinese liquor company arrived in Jeju and Busan in two separate voyages aboard the 136,000-metric-ton Adora Magic City. Earlier this month, incentive tour groups of 1,000 people each from a Chinese tire company and an insurance company visited Jeju and Incheon by cruise ship. According to estimates by the Korea Tourism Organization, the domestic spending of these approximately 7,000 Chinese incentive tourists who visited Korea by cruise ship in June and July amounted to about 2.5 billion won.
The Korea Tourism Organization expects that, with its support this year, the total number of Chinese incentive tourists visiting Korea by cruise ship will reach 7,840. This represents a significant increase compared to last year, when the number was zero. From January to June of this year, the total number of Chinese incentive tour groups arriving in Korea via cruise ships and ferries reached 203 groups—2.3 times more than last year—and the number of participants increased by 71%.
Analysts attribute the recent rise in Chinese incentive tour groups arriving by sea to the recovery of cruise travel demand, which had plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They suggest that this year’s notable surge in Chinese incentive cruise groups should be viewed as a return to normal market conditions rather than a sign of new demand for travel to Korea. Industry insiders and experts note that this trend is partly due to the increased operations of large cruise ships
According to figures compiled by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the number of global cruise passengers in 2023 (31 million) surpassed the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level of 2019 (29.7 million). In contrast, China did not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 (931,000 passengers), regaining its position as Asia’s largest market. Domestic cruise travel demand in China, which began a rapid recovery starting in 2024, reached a record high of 1,145,000 passengers last year.
However, the growing number of Chinese incentive travel groups visiting South Korea via cruise ships has also presented new challenges. This is because these groups typically stay at each port of call for only half a day or a full day and handle their lodging and meals onboard, resulting in limited economic benefits from these group visits. Yoon Ju, a research fellow at the Korea Culture and Tourism Research Institute, suggested, “We should encourage visitors to visit at least two regions within the country by linking urban centers with natural destinations, such as Incheon–Busan and Busan–Sokcho.” She added, “We need to diversify port-of-call programs with distinct itineraries, routes, and content for each port, and further streamline embarkation and disembarkation procedures.”
