Key facts
- 1.28 million foreign visitors arrived by cruise ship from January to August.
- Arrivals increased 12% year-on-year.
- Chinese citizens made up 57.7% of the visitors.
- Annual total could surpass 2 million this year, exceeding last year's 1.6 million.
SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea saw a significant increase in foreign cruise ship visitors during the first eight months of 2026, with numbers nearing 1.3 million. This surge, representing a 12% rise from the previous year, was primarily driven by travelers from China. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) reported that 1.28 million foreign passengers and crew arrived by cruise ship between January and August. Projections indicate that the annual total could exceed 2 million, surpassing the record of 1.6 million set last year, as the fourth quarter anticipates 148 cruise ship port calls and over 638,000 arrivals. Seogwipo, a popular destination on Jeju Island, handled more than half of these maritime arrivals, with Chinese nationals comprising the largest nationality group at 57.7%.