Departs from Seosan Daesan Port on May 19th, visits Taiwan and Japan, and arrives at Busan Port on the 25th -
Chungcheongnam-do Province announced on the 13th that the 'Costa Serena', the first international cruise ship for the Chungcheong region, will once again open the sea route on the West Sea next month.

According to the province, the international cruise ship Costa Serena, with Seosan Daesan Port as its home port, will depart from Daesan Port on May 19th with passengers and will arrive at Busan Port on the 25th after a 6-night, 7-day journey visiting Keelung, Taiwan, and Nagasaki, Japan.

The Costa Serena, a vessel of the European cruise company 'Costa Cruises' headquartered in Genoa, Italy, has a gross tonnage of 114,000 tons, a length of 290 meters, and a width of 35 meters.

Its onboard facilities include a grand theater, disco, swimming pools, restaurants, a fitness center, a kids' club, a casino, a duty-free shop, and a beauty salon & spa, earning it the nickname of a 'moving luxury hotel on the sea'.

Through the upcoming arrival of the Costa Serena, 1,100 crew members and 2,600 passengers from across the country are expected to visit Chungcheongnam-do, which is anticipated to generate various ripple effects for the local economy and the development of the tourism industry.

The province is not stopping at simple operation but is also working to build a foundation for the cruise industry. Last year, it conducted research through the Chungnam Institute to revitalize international cruises. In the future, in line with the government's policy direction to promote marine leisure tourism, it plans to develop differentiated port-of-call tourism products in collaboration with cities and counties and develop Pan-Yellow Sea routes centered on Daesan Port.

Seosan City was selected as one of Korea's top 7 cruise ports of call last December, along with Jeju Island and Busan, and this year, it is promoting a cruise port-of-call tourism revitalization project with funding support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

A provincial official stated, "We will steadily push forward with the operation of international cruise ships, as well as the '2025 Boryeong Cup International Yacht Race' in June and the establishment of a complex marine leisure tourism city. We will do our best to ensure that Chungcheongnam-do emerges as a mecca for marine leisure tourism."

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