Busan is good

“The 1st Global City Tourism Summit” Enters Full Preparation Stage

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The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) and the Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities (TPO, Secretary-General Kang Da-eun) held a kick-off briefing for “The 1st Global City Tourism Summit” on May 9 in the main conference room at City Hall, marking the start of full-scale preparations.

• ●The briefing was attended by around 20 key figures including the Director General of Busan’s Tourism & MICE Bureau, Kang Da-eun, Secretary-General of TPO, Lee Jeong-sil, President of Busan Tourism Organization, and Jeon Yong-woo, CEO of Busan Global City Foundation.

• ●Participants discussed the implementation plan and specific schedule for the summit and took the first step toward its successful hosting, regularization, and branding.

This inaugural summit is a tourism exchange and cooperation event featuring global tourism policymakers and high-level officials from related institutions. Through regularization, it aims to grow into an integrated platform that encompasses global tourism policy development, business linkage, and inter-city exchanges.

• ●The summit is jointly hosted by the City of Busan, TPO, and the Busan Tourism Organization.

• ●It aims to lead future tourism industry trends by setting global tourism agendas and establishing a collaborative platform involving governments, institutions, and businesses.

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The 1st Global City Tourism Summit will be held for three days from October 27 to 29, 2025, across various locations in Busan.

• ●The main theme, selected through two expert advisory meetings held in December 2024 and April 2025, is
  “Promoting Local Tourism and Culture through Innovation and Cooperation.”

• ●The main programs include ▲Special Dialogues ▲Mayors’ Round Table ▲Bilateral and Multilateral Meetings ▲Joint Declaration Signing.
  Additional events include ▲Welcome Reception ▲Business Meetings ▲Tourism Roadshow.

• ●Furthermore, various themed sessions will be held in collaboration with global partners such as ▲UN Tourism, ▲domestic and international cities and institutions, experts, and businesses, and ▲multilateral international consultative bodies.

This summit will be held alongside the 2nd Busan Global City Week, maximizing synergy and expanding the scope of city diplomacy through a variety of collaborative programs.

• ●The “Busan Global City Week,” launched last year as an expansion of the former Busan Global City Forum, facilitates exchanges and cooperation with sister and partner cities, enhancing Busan’s brand as a global hub city and strengthening international leadership.

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Meanwhile, “The 1st Global City Tourism Summit” was selected in March for the 2025 Global K-Convention Promotion Project hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Tourism Organization, securing up to KRW 600 million in national funding under the “Regional Signature International Conference” category.

Kang Da-eun, Secretary-General of TPO, stated,
“This summit will serve as a strategic platform to foster cooperation with global cities in the tourism sector and strengthen our role as a platform for tourism diplomacy.”

Kim Hyun-jae, Director General of the Tourism & MICE Bureau, remarked,
“By hosting this summit, Busan aims to highlight the tourism potential of cities around the world and create a venue for sharing knowledge and best practices with leading tourism cities. This will be a vital step toward building a global integrated tourism platform led by Busan.”

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Appendix – Overview of The 1st Global City Tourism Summit

• ●Title: The 1st Global City Tourism Summit

• ●Date/Location: October 27 (Mon) – 29 (Wed), 2025 / Various venues across Busan

• ●Theme: Promoting Local Tourism and Culture through Innovation and Cooperation

• ●Participants: Approx. 300 delegates, including officials from domestic and international governments, institutions, academia, and industry

• ●Hosts: Busan Metropolitan City, Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities (TPO), Busan Tourism Organization

• ●Budget: KRW 800 million (City: 600 million + National: 200 million)

• ●Key Content:

• ○Official Events: Opening Ceremony, Special Dialogues, Mayors’ Round Table, Thematic Sessions, Bilateral Meetings, Receptions

• ○Side Events: Tourism Roadshow, Industry-specific Business Meetings, VIP Fam Tours

• ○Linked Events: Busan Global City Week (hosted by International Cooperation Division & Busan Global City Foundation), Gastronomic Tourism Forum (hosted by Tourism MICE Industry Division & Busan Tourism Organization)