- Aiming to attract over 20,000 tourists through more than 10 cruise arrivals -

- Promoting Korea-China cruise economic cooperation with prospects of generating around KRW 5.4 billion in economic benefits -

Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that the city government signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Dalian City, China, on May 18 during the 34th Acacia Flowers Festival held in Dalian, to foster the development of the cruise industry.

This agreement aims to strengthen cruise marketing cooperation between the two cities in order to increase cruise tourist arrivals and revitalize the local economies of both regions.

The MOU signing ceremony took place at the Culture City East Asia (CCEA), hosted by Dalian. Key officials attending included Lee Dong-woo, Director General of Incheon Maritime Affairs and Aviation, and Shen Meina, Director of Dalian’s Culture and Tourism Bureau.

Under the terms of the agreement, both cities will enhance administrative and marketing support for attracting cruise ships on the Incheon-Dalian route, explore options for launching competitive cruise lines, and seek long-term cooperation strategies. They will also strengthen cooperation on all aspects of cruise tourism, including passenger exchanges.

Based on this agreement, Incheon plans to attract more than 10 cruise ship arrivals originating from Dalian, aiming to bring approximately 20,000 tourists to the city. This initiative is expected to generate an economic impact of about KRW 5.4 billion and elevate Incheon’s global city image through enhanced international cooperation with its sister city, Dalian.

Lee Dong-woo, Director General of Incheon’s Maritime Affairs and Aviation Bureau, stated, “Dalian is a key Chinese port city and a sister city to Incheon. This agreement with the city will serve as a milestone not only for the cruise industry but also for strengthening Incheon’s global tourism competitiveness.” He added, “We will continue to do our best to establish Incheon as Northeast Asia’s leading maritime tourism hub through ongoing Korea-China maritime and cruise tourism cooperation.”