Sokcho Port concludes seven cruise calls...11,403 visitors, local spending in the 500-million-won range

【Financial News, Sokcho = Kim Gi-seop】This year, 11,403 tourists arrived at Sokcho Port aboard cruise ships, nearly 1.5 times last year’s total, leaving more than 560 million won in local spending.
According to the Gangwon Tourism Organization on the 26th, the organization, together with Gangwon State and Sokcho City, concluded all port-of-call tours and arrival events for this year’s seven cruise calls at Sokcho Port with the arrival of Seabourn Encore on the 25th.
The cumulative number of tourists this year, 11,403, was 146% of last year’s 7,800. Applying the Korea Tourism Organization’s figure of 49,389 won in average port-of-call spending per cruise tourist, local spending totaled 563.18 million won.
Tourists did not limit their visits to Sokcho. Using Seoraksan in Sokcho and Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market as bases, they also visited major attractions in nearby cities and counties, including Gangneung Coffee Street, the Demilitarized Zone in Goseong and Naksansa Temple in Yangyang, spreading direct and indirect economic benefits across the East Coast.
This year, newly introduced experiential themed packages raised the quality of port-of-call tourism. The organization offered packages including a cooking class in Abai Village where visitors make dishes from the displaced people’s cuisine, tours of local craft beer breweries and an experience at Cheoksan Foot Bath Park. The shift from sightseeing-focused tours to activities in which tourists take part directly is seen as a step forward.
Gangwon Tourism Organization CEO Choi Seong-hyeon said, “Cruise tourists have been visiting destinations throughout the East Coast, from Seoraksan and Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market to Gangneung Coffee Street and the Demilitarized Zone in Goseong. We will further refine experiential packages such as the Abai Village cooking class, work to attract cruise lines and improve our readiness to accommodate visitors at port-of-call destinations, and develop Sokcho Port into a cruise hub representing the Pan-East Sea region.”

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter