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Busan Metropolitan City Ramps Up Efforts to Enhance Tourism Readiness for Summer Visitors

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that in preparation for the surge in summer tourists, the city will enhance its tourism readiness across areas such as preventing price gouging, safety, hygiene, and environmental management. Mayor Park will personally conduct on-site inspections today (July 17) to solidify Busan’s foundation as a global tourism hub.

This inspection comes amid expectations that domestic and international tourism demand will concentrate in Busan due to record-breaking heatwaves. Busan tourism has shown clear signs of recovery, having surpassed 1 million foreign visitors in April—the fastest on record. To ensure continued growth, the city has prepared comprehensive measures.

Since June last year, starting with inspections led by the mayor, the city has conducted readiness campaigns at beaches across Busan. A proactive inspection meeting was also held in March this year. These continued efforts demonstrate the city's commitment to strengthening its tourism readiness.

Today's activities will include:

• ●the “Tourism Readiness Inspection and Joint Declaration Ceremony,”

• ●service inspection at Taejongdae Resort Park, and

• ●the “Zero (0) Water Safety Accidents” declaration at Songdo Beach.

Mayor Park plans to visit each location, carefully examining inconveniences from the tourists’ perspective.

The first event will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the main conference room at City Hall with the “Tourism Readiness Inspection and Joint Declaration Ceremony.”
About 80 attendees, including officials from the city government, district and county offices, and affiliated organizations, will participate.
The city will present the “ZERO Tourist Inconvenience! Enhancing the City's Brand Status” plan, followed by a time of discussion and commitment to joint action.

Participating organizations include:
Busan Metropolitan City, 16 district and county offices, Busan Tourism Association, Busan branch of the Korea Women Consumers Federation, Busan branch of the Korea Hotel Association, Busan branch of the Korea Foodservice Industry Association, Busan branch of the Korea Rest Area Food Industry Association, Busan Private Taxi Association, Busan Taxi Association, Busan Cultural Tourism Guide Association, and Busan Tourism Monitoring & Inspection Team.

Mayor Park will then visit Taejongdae Resort Park to inspect the operation of the Danubi Train and encourage staff.
In particular, he will experience the newly introduced electric Danubi Train, which reduces carbon emissions and improves accessibility for transportation-vulnerable individuals thanks to its eco-friendly and barrier-free design.

Next, he will head to Songdo Beach to inspect readiness efforts regarding overcharging and overall beach operations. Together with fire, police, Seo-gu Office, and private safety personnel, he will participate in the “Zero (0) Water Safety Accidents” declaration.

He will conclude the day by visiting the Songdo Marine Cable Car to greet tourists and check for any inconveniences.

The city’s initiative, “ZERO Tourist Inconvenience! Enhancing the City's Brand Status,” includes practical response measures aimed at increasing tourist satisfaction and reinforcing Busan’s image as a global hub. With this, Busan aims to be a “City Open to All,” fully prepared to welcome global visitors.

Specifically, the plan involves:

• ●improving tourist convenience and building an on-site response system,

• ●enhancing services,

• ●upgrading facilities and environment, and

• ●expanding tourism content.

[Improving Convenience and Response System]
In July and August, the city will operate the “Tourism Monitoring & Inspection Team” in collaboration with districts and counties to inspect 51 key locations, including gateways and tourist attractions.
Additionally, it will run seasonal “Summer Police Stations” and “Rescue Teams” at beaches in cooperation with the National Police Agency and the Fire Safety Headquarters. Fire safety inspections will also be carried out at multi-use facilities.

[Enhancing Services]
Training will be strengthened for frontline workers in accommodation, food service, and taxi transportation sectors, covering topics like hospitality, hygiene management, and visitor response protocols.
Seven tourist information centers and 23 cultural tourism guide locations will continue operations. Staff at these sites will also undergo training to improve service capabilities.

[Upgrading Facilities and Environment]
Efforts include reopening and managing the east side of Dadaepo Beach, removing unnecessary facilities as part of a “decluttering readiness” campaign, and refurbishing 165 tourist information signs and installations.
To address heat-related risks, misting stations (cooling fog zones) at tourist sites will be expanded in partnership with local governments.

[Expanding Content]
Major events will provide rich entertainment, including:

• ●the 29th Busan Sea Festival (Aug. 1–3, Dadaepo Beach),

• ●the “Gwangalli M Drone Light Show” (every Saturday at Gwangalli Beach),

• ●“Byeolbada Busan Night Festa” (July–October, citywide), and

• ●world-class performances like Cirque du Soleil’s “KOOZA” (Aug. 21–Sept. 28 at Shinsegae Centum outdoor parking lot).

Additionally, the “Chunsik Tour” city tour bus, jointly developed by Kakao Friends and the Busan Tourism Organization for the MZ generation, will operate themed routes in East Busan until August 31, offering unique access to major tourist attractions.

Busan will also promote fair trade and self-regulation through initiatives such as:

• ●supporting stable vacation prices by promoting "Good Price Stores",

• ●guiding businesses to comply with fair pricing through education and voluntary action, and

• ●eliminating overcharging in taxis to ensure order in transportation services.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “This year’s record-breaking increase in foreign tourists is thanks to everyone’s hard work and dedication,” and added, “It is crucial to meticulously enhance our tourism readiness for Busan to emerge as a global tourism hub. We will do our best to minimize inconveniences and maximize satisfaction in every aspect tourists experience.”

He also urged the private sector to join in, saying, “I hope private businesses will also voluntarily improve their services and join efforts to eliminate overcharging, contributing to building Busan’s brand as a global tourism hub.”