Boom for Busan as Chinese cruise lines steer clear of Japan amid Beijing-Tokyo tensions

BUSAN – When Ms Li, a school teacher from Shanghai, booked a cruise holiday for herself in August 2025, the itinerary included ports of call in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as South Korea’s Jeju Island.

By the time she embarked on her trip aboard the Chinese cruise ship Adora Magic City on Feb 4, the itinerary had been changed twice and no longer included any port calls in Japan.

“At first, they changed from Nagasaki to Fukuoka. But later on, they changed it further to skip Japan altogether, and to Jeju and Busan (instead),” said Ms Li, who declined to reveal her full name.

She was among at least 2,500 passengers who disembarked at the Busan International Cruise Terminal on Feb 6.

“It can’t be helped,” said Ms Li, referring to the itinerary changes, before lowering her voice. “We are not allowed to go (to Japan) now, anyway.”

China reiterated a warning to its citizens on Jan 26 against travelling to Japan during the upcoming nine-day Chinese New Year break, from Feb 15 to 23.

The country first issued a travel advisory against visiting Japan in November 2025, following a diplomatic row that erupted over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan.

Speaking to the Japanese Diet on Nov 7, 2025, Ms Takaichi drew China’s wrath when she said that any use of force by Beijing against Taiwan, which China claims as its own, would “constitute a situation that could threaten Japan’s survival” and therefore justify a military response by Japan.

All scheduled flights between China and Japan have also been cancelled for February, with Chinese airlines extending special ticket change and refund policies for Japan-related travel.

In the Feb 8 Japanese snap legislative elections, Ms Takaichi won a strong mandate, with her Liberal Democratic Party sweeping a historic two-thirds supermajority in the House of Representatives.

The landslide victory highlighted her popularity and served as an implicit rebuke to Beijing over the diplomatic spat.

And with the freeze in Japan-China relations not likely to thaw any time soon, Chinese tourists have been redirecting their attention to South Korea and destinations in South-east Asia. 

In particular, the south-eastern port city of Busan is expecting an unprecedented number of Chinese visitors in 2026 on Chinese cruise ships. 

From having just eight Chinese-origin cruise ships in 2025, Busan is now gearing up for 173 Chinese-origin cruise ships slated to dock there. 

Jeju, traditionally the most popular port of call in South Korea for Chinese-origin cruise ships, is expected to welcome more than 300 vessels in 2026.

The port of Incheon, which is nearest to Seoul, received 40 urgent bookings from Chinese cruise ship companies in December 2025 and is expecting at least 44 arrivals from China. 

An official from Incheon Port Authority was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying that cruise call reservations are usually made one year in advance, so the last-minute bookings were highly likely driven by political reasons. 

Adding to the appeal is South Korea’s temporary visa-free entry scheme for Chinese tourists, which began in September 2025 and runs until June 2026. Under the programme to spur tourism, groups of three or more travellers booked through accredited agencies can stay for up to 15 days with visa fees waived.

China has also extended visa-free travel for South Korean tourists through the end of 2026, as part of efforts by Seoul and Beijing to build warmer ties, which reached a nadir in 2017 following South Korea’s deployment of the American THAAD missile-defence system. Angered by the deployment, which it saw as a security threat, China suspended group tours to South Korea. 

Flights between South Korea and China are also on the rise.

Despite February being a low travel season, the number of flights between Jeju and Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Beijing increased by 22 to 125 flights per week. 

Casinos and hotels in Incheon and Jeju are reporting full occupancy over the Chinese New Year holiday.

According to data by research firm China Trading Desk, around 250,000 Chinese tourists are expected to visit South Korea over the nine-day festive holiday, a 52 per cent increase from 2025.

Mr Piao Zhe was among dozens of tour guides milling outside the Busan International Cruise Terminal, waiting for passengers from the Adora Magic City to disembark for a day tour of Busan.

He was dispatched from Seoul as “there are not enough tour guides in Busan to handle the crowd”, Mr Piao told The Straits Times.

The 50-year-old, who has been guiding Chinese tourists in South Korea for 18 years, said his company had told him to expect a very busy year.

“No one knows what exactly to expect, but I think perhaps I will be needed more in Seoul as that is usually the main hub for Chinese tourists,” said Mr Piao. 

At the cruise terminal’s carpark, more than 50 tour buses were waiting to ferry passengers to the popular Busan attractions of Haeundae Beach, Jagalchi seafood market and Gamcheon Culture Village. 

One of the bus drivers told ST that while he usually drives a cruise tour group once every three days, his company has told him that the frequency will soon increase to daily runs. 

Busan Port Authority manager Lee Ji-young was on-site to ensure cruise passengers disembarked smoothly. She told ST that her agency is set to hire more staff in anticipation of the surge in visitors, but that it will take time.

Local media reports said Busan Port Authority president Song Sang-geun had flagged the issue of insufficient personnel to handle the increased traffic. 

“With the current manpower situation, it will be difficult to assign berths starting in the second quarter,” he had said. 

In response, South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has said that it is working with relevant agencies to expedite immigration processing and boost manpower. Busan has three cruise terminals with five berths.

Mr Lee Won-suk, 68, who runs a stall selling dried fruits and seafood near Jalgalchi Market, is delighted about the anticipated surge in Chinese visitors. 

“Taiwanese visitors are currently my top customers, but the Chinese tourists are different, they come with rolls of cash. I once had two Chinese ladies who bought up 900,000 won (S$784) in one go,” he told ST. 

Ironically, some of his dried seafood and nuts are sourced from China “because the prices are cheaper”, but he processes them with distinctly Korean flavours, such as butter-seasoned dried squid.

“I think it is because we have similar palates to the Chinese, so the Chinese tourists seem to enjoy our dried green tangerine peels and all the dried, seasoned seafood,” said Mr Lee.