Kobe is on pace to have 141 calls this year, the highest number since 2018, and growth is set to continue in 2026, said Mitsuki Iba from the Cruise Promotion Division at the Port and Harbor Bureau, Kobe City Government (Port of Kobe).

Iba told Cruise Industry News in an interview that the Seabourn Encore and Azamara Pursuit made maiden calls at the Port of Kobe for turnarounds this March.

The new Asuka III started calling in September, and at the end of this year, Asuka will offer an itinerary calling at Keelung and Kaohsiung from Kobe with the Asuka II.

“Baggage delivery, which is a paid service, will become available at our cruise terminal soon. We hope this will help the passengers to go on hassle-free sightseeing in Kobe,” Iba explained.

International charter flights have started to fly to and from Kobe Airport this past April.

“The cruise terminal is 13 minutes from the airport by train,” Iba noted.

Iba noted that the port is also promoting itself as the gateway of Seto Inland Sea Cruises (Setouchi cruises).

To see success, the port would like more passengers and more crew to have wonderful experiences in Kobe.

“For the turnarounds, our ideal call will see passengers enjoy their sightseeing with a pre- or post-cruise stay in Kobe with the ship buying local products,” Iba added. “To achieve this, we are inviting cruise lines to our fam tours and offering them actual local experiences in Kobe.”