[Features reporter] Incheon i-Sea Pass allows residents travel to islands at cost of standard bus fare

Summer season calls for travel to the sea and islands and some of the closest ones can be found in Incheon a city also well-known to foreign tourists, as they arrive at the airport there.

Now, there is a way to travel to and from the city's offshore islands for only 1-thousand-500 Korean won, around 1 U.S. dollar and ten cents, by using the "Incheon i-Sea Pass".

Cha Yun-kyung has more.

Incheon Coastal Passenger Terminal is crowded with lots of people visiting the islands of Incheon from early in the morning, as the number of tourists has increased significantly.

(KOREAN-) "Since the ship fare has become quite reasonable for Incheon residents, I have suggested tours of Incheon's islands to my friends and family."

The "Incheon i-Sea Pass" is the city's first initiative this year, utilizing online booking and payments, that allows Incheon residents to travel to the 25 islands in the western sea for just 1-thousand-500 Korean won, equivalent to the price of the standard bus fare.

Non-residents can also receive a discount of up to 70 percent of the normal ferry fares that vary depending on the islands visited, the type of ferry, and age among others.

Although the number of passengers using Incheon Coastal Ferries has decreased due to higher cancellation rates than last year, the number of i-Sea Pass users has increased 10-point-3 percent, or around 16-thousand people.

Among i-Sea Pass users, the number of Incheon residents increased to 1-hundred-50-thousand, up 3-point-3 percent, while the number of non-residents reached 19-thousand an increase of 27-point-6 percent.

As a result, Incheon Metropolitan City expects economic stimulation for Incheon's islands through the i-Sea Pass.

Incheon will also look to find ways to prevent inconvenience to the islands' residents and revise policies as the number of users increases.

Cha Yun-kyung, Arirang News.