Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Accelerates Toward 3 Million Foreign Tourists through Targeted Marketing for Chinese-speaking Visitors

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that, as of July this year, the number of Chinese-speaking tourists visiting Busan reached a cumulative total of approximately 783,000, marking a 36.8 percent increase compared to the same period last year (about 572,000). The Chinese-speaking market serves as a key driver of Busan’s foreign visitor segment and forms a strong foundation for the city’s tourism industry growth.

Busan, a city with a unique charm where the sea and urban life blend together, offers not only exceptional natural landscapes but also abundant content favored by Chinese-speaking tourists, including gastronomy, shopping, and various experiential activities. With tourism trends shifting toward individual and small-group travel, younger female travelers in their 20s and 30s, and experience-oriented products, Busan’s high value-added tourism offerings have been drawing strong interest from this market.

To overcome the limited availability of direct flights compared to the Seoul metropolitan area, the city has implemented detailed marketing strategies across both online and offline channels, achieving notable results. Building on the success of last year’s exclusive tourism promotion roadshows held in Shanghai, Qingdao, and Taipei, the city has expanded its efforts this year to new first-tier cities in China such as Hangzhou, further strengthening its market presence.

In addition, Busan has maximized its exposure through digital marketing and collaborations with influencers, effectively promoting the city’s tourism appeal to local audiences.

Cooperation with major OTAs has also delivered tangible outcomes. A Busan special live broadcast with Ctrip attracted approximately 20 million real-time viewers. Joint promotions with Alibaba’s Fliggy expanded awareness of Busan tourism, while a limited sale of the Visit Busan Pass in collaboration with Taiwan’s KKDAY sold out 3,000 passes in just one day, once again demonstrating the city’s popularity.

In preparation for the imminent implementation of China’s visa-free group tour policy, Busan has launched a full-scale strategy to attract more tourists. On September 8, the city signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with global OTA Trip.com Group, laying the groundwork for integrated overseas marketing and enhanced global competitiveness. Building on the achievements of its previous roadshows targeting Chinese-speaking markets, the city is also expanding cooperation with local travel agencies to attract more than 3,000 group tourists through various strategic initiatives.

From September 27 to 28, Busan will host an exclusive “Taiwan Roadshow,” featuring events such as a fan meeting with the city’s communication character “Boogi” and esports content. These unique experiential programs are designed to target younger generations and intensively promote Busan to local audiences.

Kim Hyun-jae, Director General of the Tourism & MICE Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “The rapid growth of the Chinese-speaking tourism market is energizing Busan’s tourism industry. Moving forward, we will make every effort to achieve 3 million foreign tourists through aggressive and innovative overseas marketing, ensuring Busan’s leap forward as a global tourism city that captures worldwide attention.”