Daily Busan
Busan tourism broke records in 2025. In 2026, they’re falling faster
source: Busan Tourism Archive
Busan has hit a major tourism milestone: 1,023,946 foreign visitors arrived in the first quarter of 2026, crossing the 1 million mark faster than ever before. While the city saw a record 3.64 million global visitors last year, this year’s million-visitor threshold was crossed in March, a full month earlier than in 2025, the quickest pace since official tracking began in 2014.
The top four visitor groups by country were consistent with last year: Taiwan (208,984 visitors), China (197,958), Japan (130,217), the United States (81,437) and Vietnam (44,352). Visitor spending rose in step, reaching 235.5 billion won, a 26.4% increase year-on-year.
City officials point to three key drivers behind the surge in global visitors: The expansion of marine leisure and cruise tourism, the Visit Busan Pass and targeted global marketing.
First, efforts to boost cruise tourism have been fruitful. Extending terminal operating hours, upgrading port-of-call experiences with local festivals, food, and cultural programs, and attracting a wider range of vessels — including worldwide cruise ships and Korea's first Fly·Rail&Cruise homeport cruise — pushed both visitor numbers and spending sharply upward.
With the number of tourists arriving via cruises from China reaching 180,388 in the first quarter alone — a significant increase from 57,964 during the same period last year — the city expects approximately 800,000 people to visit Busan by cruise this year, more than double the number from last year.
Second, the Visit Busan Pass remains a popular option for travelers and boasts a 97% user satisfaction rating. The all-in-one tourist pass, available only to international visitors, grants users exclusive discounts on transportation, attractions, shopping and more.
The Visit Busan Pass has been upgraded to enhance users’ convenience, including integration with digital payment services such as LINE and AliPay. It is also now available at major hubs around Seoul, including Incheon and Gimpo international airports. Sales rose roughly 65% compared to the same period last year.
On the marketing side, Busan's recognition by Expedia as the “best-value overseas destination” for Japan's Golden Week gave the city a strong platform. Busan leveraged that moment through Japanese media and online and offline channels, targeting short-haul travelers drawn to affordability and quality. For the Chinese market, content tied to the spring flower season tapped into the rapidly growing appetite for outdoor and experiential travel, drawing visitors looking for something beyond standard sightseeing.
Looking ahead, the BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ IN BUSAN on June 12 and 13 is expected to drive another wave of international visitors and lift repeat visit numbers heading into the second half of the year. With sharper, market-specific campaigns, greater convenience and a growing global profile, Busan is proving its dedication to being a city good for travel—and the numbers clearly agree.
<Today's Vocabulary - 오늘의 단어>
consistent with: ~와 일치하는 surge: 급등 fruitful: 수확이 많이 난 attraction: 관광명소 integration: 통합 leverage: 유리하게 사용하다 affordability: 수용가능성
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