▲ One of an increasing number of cruise ships mooring at Jeju Outer Port as records continue to be broken. Photo by Douglas MacDonald

Around eight years ago, Kim Eui-Keun was first introduced to the Jeju cruise industry. As he witnessed the call of an around-the-world cruise to Jeju he knew that cruising had a big future on the island.

Kim then set out to study the cruise industry and now as a professor at Jeju International University in the Depart-ment of Tourism Management he is also Chairman of The Cruising Asia Organ-izing Committee. He has a strong vision of where he wants the industry to be.

“Asia will be the center of the cruise industry in the future. Jeju is perfectly placed to be the center of the growth,” he said.

This is not a distant target, as attested by the figures.

“In 2011, 65,000 cruise passengers came to Jeju and by 2012 the number was 140,000. By 2013 the number is projected to rise again to 380,000. This rapid growth means passengers have doubled consecutively,” said Kim.

Jeju has also secured a 50-percent share of all cruise passengers visiting Korea; it is the number one cruise destination in the country, says Kim. To manage this growth and prestige, Kim believes events such as The Cruising Asia 2013, Jeju Forum are crucial to build the local brand and foster cooperation.

“Many countries are involved in the cruise trade so one country cannot accomplish this alone. We need to cooperate and work together. This forum gives us the opportunity to share our vision for the future of the industry,” he said.

Strong branding is essential, which is why Kim is looking at international brands such as Sea Trade, well estab-lished in the international cruise community, and aims to emulate their success in Asia through the concept of “Cruising Asia.” Seatrade’s principal strength is its ability to bring key people together, encouraging innovation and facilitating better communication within the industry. This is something

Kim believes needs to happen in Asia.

“Asia will be the center and countries need to cooperate to be a success. The network was the first in Asia and was setup to help promote our brand as the center of the industry,” he said. “When cruises visit countries in the region, each port needs the best facilities if we are going to lead the industry, which demands collaboration.”

▲ Kim Eui-Keun, Chairman of The Cruising Asia Organizing Committee Photo courtesyKim Eui-Keun

Kim sees more potential in the years ahead. President Park Geun-hye had predicted that 2 million passengers would visit Korea by 2020, but Kim says this is conservative, even for Jeju alone.

“There are predicted to be 7 million cruise passengers in all of Asia by 2020 and 4 million of these will be Chinese. It is expected that around half of these will visit Jeju. For this reason, we think the total number will be more like 2.5 million,” he said.

When searching for reasons for Jeju’s amazing growth, Kim didn’t point to the usual factors, such as its UNESCO heritage and beaches. There are very pragmatic reasons for Jeju leading the region in cruise growth. Kim laid out his top three.

“First, cruises must travel at a speed within 70 percent of 25 knots to be economical. Jeju is perfectly situated 15 hours from Shanghai, and 10 hours from Tenzin. It is also 10 hours from Busan, Seoul and near to Fukuoka and Kobe,” he said.

“Second, people living in cities in the region want to visit Jeju as an island resort. It is known as a “calling port” in contrast to the “home ports” surrounding it. This is appealing to passengers,” Kim added.

There are also the practicalities of passengers getting the most out of their visit.

“Third, visitors can easily travel around the island and see the sites within 6 to 8 hours. Jeju has a very high satisfaction rate compared to other ports of call,” Kim concluded.

As Kim is placing the cruise industry at the center of tourism strategy for Jeju, the island looks like becoming central to the regional cruise industry.

For more information on The Cruising Asia 2013, Jeju Forum visit: thecruisingasia.com