Gangwon State, Sokcho City, and the Gangwon Tourism Organization (CEO Choi Sung-hyun) announced on October 25 that they successfully concluded the 2026 Sokcho Port cruise shore excursions and arrival events with the final port call of the Silver Encore.

This year, the cumulative number of cruise tourists visiting Sokcho Port totaled 11,403, resulting in local consumption effects of approximately 560 million won (563.18 million won). Based on last year's figure of 7,800 visitors, this achievement represents a 146% performance increase compared to the previous year. (Note: Consumption effects were calculated using the Korea Tourism Organization’s standard of an average on-site expenditure of 49,389 won per tourist per port call.)

Shore excursions extended far beyond Sokcho to neighboring cities and counties. Tourists visited representative regional tourist destinations—such as Seoraksan Mountain and the Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market as hubs, along with Gangneung Coffee Street, Goseong's Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and Yangyang Naksaksan Temple—creating direct and indirect economic ripple effects across the entire East Coast region.

In particular, the organization commercialized new themed tourism programs, including an Abai Village cooking class where visitors learn to make displaced people's traditional foods, tours of local craft breweries, and experiences at the Cheoksaksan Foot Bath Park. These programs were praised for upgrading shore excursions from simple sightseeing to interactive, hands-on experiences.

Gangwon Tourism Organization CEO Choi Sung-hyun stated, "Through seven port calls this year, we achieved a local consumption effect of 560 million won. We will do our utmost through proactive cruise line marketing and improvements to port reception infrastructure so that Sokcho can establish itself as a leading cruise hub port in the East Sea Rim."

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