The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will recruit 96 people (48 teams) for the 2026 cruise experience group.
The cruise experience group is a program designed to raise awareness of cruise tourism by providing an opportunity to experience a cruise trip firsthand. It began in 2016 and marks its 10th anniversary this year.
This experience group will board the 114,000-ton large cruise ship "Costa Serena" departing from Daesan Port in Seosan, South Chungcheong, on June 13, tour Okinawa in Japan and Keelung in Taiwan, and then arrive at Busan Port on June 19 for a 7-day, 6-night international cruise itinerary.
Eligibility is open to citizens of the Republic of Korea aged 19 or older who have no disqualifying reasons for overseas travel. Those selected for the experience group will receive support for cruise boarding fees. Some expenses, such as shore excursion fees, must be paid by the participant.
Applications for the experience group can be submitted on the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries website from 11 a.m. on the 22nd of this month to 5 p.m. on the 28th.
Yu Eun-won, director-general for maritime policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "We hope operating this experience group will serve as an opportunity to help expand domestic demand for cruise tourism."