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Festival Shiwol Continues Busan’s Rapid Tourism Growth Foreign Visitors and Spending See Significant Increase

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that its analysis of the Festival Shiwol, held across Busan from September 21 to October 3, showed clear positive impacts, with significant increases in both the number of foreign visitors and tourism-related spending.

According to data from the Korea Tourism Organization’s Tourism Data Lab, the number of foreign visitors to Busan during the festival period reached approximately 435,000, a 25% increase from the previous year and three times higher than the national average increase of 8%.

By nationality, the largest share came from Taiwan (19.1%), followed by Japan (13.5%) and China (12.3%). Notably, the rising proportion of Japanese visitors reflects the growing trend of travelers seeking content-focused experiences during the festival period.

During the same period, foreign tourist spending rose by 34.6% year-on-year to KRW 32.7 billion, which is 2.5 times the national average.

Spending by domestic tourists also increased by 8.1%, totaling KRW 301.8 billion, the second highest increase among all regions nationwide, following Gyeonggi Province.

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In addition, with the festival period extended,
▲ the number of long-stay tourists (7 nights or more) in September increased by 3.4% compared to the previous year, and
▲ the average length of stay for non-residents in September reached 3 days, slightly exceeding that of the peak summer vacation month of August by 0.13 days.

Sales of the Visit Busan Pass, a foreigner-exclusive tourism pass, also increased by 71.2% (122,000 passes sold) in the third quarter compared to the same period last year, demonstrating that Festival Shiwol contributed not only to quantitative expansion but also to substantial tourism growth—including longer stays and higher spending.

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A total of 934,346 visitors attended the 26 participating events, a 39.6% increase from the previous year, clearly confirming the collective attraction effect of the integrated Festival Shiwol branding.

Major events such as the

• ●Busan International Film Festival (238,697 visitors, +64.3%),

• ●Busan Craft Beer Masters Challenge (20,000 visitors, +100%), and

• ●Busan International Performing Arts Market (61,130 visitors, +22.2%)

saw substantial increases in attendance. Furthermore, the festival’s reach expanded beyond Haeundae to include programs in the old downtown and western districts, spreading the economic and cultural benefits citywide.

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New and unique Festival Shiwol signature experiences—such as the Seven Bridges Tour and Brunch on the Bridge—attracted strong domestic and international interest, demonstrating the potential to evolve into global tourism content unique to Busan.

However, areas identified for improvement included the usability of the integrated festival app and management of certain newly introduced programs, which were cited as challenges to be refined in the future.

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Kim Hyun-jae, Director General of the Tourism and MICE Bureau, stated:
“This year, Busan has seen an unprecedented surge in foreign tourists, positioning itself as a leading city in the southern region driving the balanced development of Korea’s tourism industry—beyond the traditionally Seoul-centric structure.

Festival Shiwol connects culture, industry, and tourism across the entire city, serving as a vital catalyst that propels Busan forward as a global hub city.”