“Lianyungang-Incheon” Route Sets New Single-Voyage Passenger Record

From: Lianyungang Daily Updated: 2025-04-15 04:24

The upsurge in China-South Korea cultural and tourism exchanges has fueled the “spring economy” boom. At around 14:00 yesterday, the departure hall of Lianyungang Port International Passenger Station bustled with crowds as 691 tourists from across China queued orderly, preparing to board the “Harmony Yungang” ferry for a 5-day trip to Incheon, South Korea. Among them, 410 were group tourists, accounting for 59.3% of the total, marking a new record for single-voyage passenger volume and outbound group numbers on the “Lianyungang-Incheon” sea route since the start of this year.

As one of Asia’s largest luxury passenger-ro/ro ships, the “Harmony Yungang” has continuously enhanced its traditional cabin services, focusing on creating an immersive “traveling at sea, enjoying the journey” experience. Its café, cinema, duty-free shop, and recreation rooms are fully operational, complemented by specialty dining and onboard cultural activities, ushering in a new era of high-quality services for China-South Korea cross-border routes.

“Traveling abroad is now convenient, and taking a cruise is comfortable and affordable. It’s a perfect opportunity to accompany my family to explore South Korea and experience its cuisine and culture,” said passenger Wang (surname). The ferry departs from Lianyungang to Incheon every Monday and Thursday, with return voyages from Incheon to Lianyungang on Tuesdays and Saturdays, each journey lasting over 20 hours.

To meet the traditional peak season for outbound tourism in April, Lianyungang Port collaborated with customs and immigration authorities to streamline clearance procedures and improve service efficiency, providing passengers with a “convenient and comfortable” travel experience. Tian Ye, passenger manager of China-South Korea Ferry Co., Ltd., explained that they prioritized safety and service upgrades, conducting comprehensive inspections of navigation equipment, hull structures, fire-fighting, and life-saving facilities, while strengthening crew drills in emergency response to ensure full ship seaworthiness.

“Considering the high proportion of elderly passengers aged 60 and above, their mobility challenges, and limited travel experience, we optimized service processes to facilitate swift customs clearance,” said Deputy Captain Teng of the Lianyungang Immigration Inspection Station. To address the needs of senior group tourists, the station produced a Silver-Haired Travel Guide, pre-screened travel documents with agencies 24 hours in advance, opened four dedicated group lanes, set up specialized service counters, and offered wheelchair assistance and dialect interpretation to ensure efficient border crossings.

Statistics show that since the start of this year, the city has seen 13,000 inbound and outbound passengers via the China-South Korea ferry route, including over 2,500 group tourists, accounting for 19.3% of total travelers. Since its launch in 2004, the “Lianyungang-Incheon” route has served over 1.755 million passengers, acting as a “maritime bridge” for China-South Korea economic and cultural exchanges. After resuming operations in December 2023, the route carried 81,000 passengers in just one year, ranking among the top performers among China’s 16 China-South Korea passenger ferry services.