Busan is good

The Future of Tourism Connects in Busan Busan Metropolitan City to Host “The 1st Global City Tourism Summit” Leading the Future Tourism Industry

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) and the Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities (TPO, Secretary General Kang Da-eun), together with the Busan Tourism Organization (President Lee Jeong-sil), announced that they will jointly host “The 1st Global City Tourism Summit” from October 27 to 29 in Haeundae, including Paradise Hotel Busan and nearby venues.

The summit has been designed as a “global cooperation platform” to strengthen Busan’s position as a global tourism hub city amid the rapidly changing international tourism environment. It will address key agendas such as digital transformation, revitalization of tourism resources based on localism, and inter-regional connectivity.

Through this summit, Busan Metropolitan City and TPO aim to propose a new direction for inter-city tourism cooperation and to explore long-term policy visions to realize “Global Tourism Hub City Busan.”

The event is co-hosted and organized by Busan Metropolitan City, TPO, and the Busan Tourism Organization, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), and the Korea Tourism Organization.

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Approximately 400 distinguished guests—including tourism policy officials from 22 cities across 14 countries, representatives of international organizations, and experts from academia and industry—will participate in the summit.
This diverse participation from governments, international bodies, and tourism experts will provide Busan with a valuable opportunity to establish itself as a central hub for global tourism cooperation.

Starting with the opening ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on October 27 at Paradise Hotel Busan’s Grand Ballroom, the summit will feature 23 programs, including a Mayors’ Roundtable and joint statement signing ceremony, keynote sessions (in collaboration with UN Tourism), special talks, bilateral meetings, thematic sessions, business networking meetings (Meet-ups), and a Global City Tourism Roadshow.

Under the theme “Promoting Local Tourism & Culture through Innovation and Collaboration,” participants will discuss an inclusive and sustainable vision for the future of tourism based on local culture and innovation.

In particular, the Mayors’ Roundtable—attended by Mayor Park Heong-joon and mayors from 22 domestic and international cities—will deliberate on practical measures for inter-city cooperation in global tourism.
A “Mayors’ Joint Statement” will be adopted to outline collective action plans for sustainable tourism development.

Other major programs include:

• ●A keynote session jointly hosted with UN Tourism

• ●An ambassadors’ session featuring five ambassadors to Korea introducing their national tourism policies

• ●A business networking meeting involving 30 tourism companies and seven venture capital firms

• ●A Youth Tourism Connect Talk Show for young people and citizens

• ●A thematic session on global tourism promotion case studies

• ●A special session on strengthening Korea–Central Asia tourism cooperation

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Busan Metropolitan City aims to develop the summit beyond a single international event into an integrated platform leading global tourism policy and business exchange.
The city plans to:

• ●Carry forward the legacy of the International Tourism City initiative

• ●Create global business opportunities by gathering tourism-related organizations

• ●Promote local tourism revitalization based on localism, accelerating Busan’s leap toward becoming a Global Tourism Hub City.

Furthermore, Busan will link this summit with other upcoming international events to generate synergy, including:

• ●“2025 Busan Global City Week,” organized by the Busan Global City Foundation, to expand substantial exchanges between Busan and its sister and partner cities, and

• ●“2025 Global Gastronomy Forum,” organized by the Busan Tourism Organization, to discuss trends in global culinary tourism.

Through the summit, the Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities (TPO) also seeks to expand its international urban tourism network, strengthen partnerships with member cities, and reinforce its position as a leading international tourism organization.
In addition, TPO plans to promote Busan’s advanced vacation-style remote work (“workation”) policy by conducting a capacity-building program for mid-level public officials from overseas during the summit.

The summit will also launch the “Global Tourism Sharing University” network—an unprecedented global collaboration model aimed at nurturing the next generation of tourism policy experts through case studies and field programs from TPO member cities.
This initiative involves Busan Metropolitan City, TPO, the Asia Pacific Tourism Association (APTA), and 21 universities in the Busan region, and will gradually expand participation to other universities and cities worldwide.

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Meanwhile, Busan welcomed a record 2 million foreign tourists as of July this year.
The city aims to reach 3 million visitors by the end of the year through the summit, establishing a global cooperation platform connecting major cities in Asia, Europe, and Africa and setting a new milestone for the global tourism industry.

In his opening remarks, Mayor Park Heong-joon will state,
“Tourism serves as a bridge of peace connecting nations, cities, and people. Its core value lies in respecting each city’s unique tourism assets and culture while sharing them with the world in a sustainable way.”
He will add, “The Global City Tourism Summit, which begins this year, will be a venue for mutual learning and sharing of experiences, policies, and ideas among cities worldwide. We will hold the summit annually and develop it into a comprehensive global platform for policy development, business opportunities, and network exchange.”