Busan is good

2025 Seven Bridges Tour Draws Over 3,000 Participants, Paving the Way for a New Era of Sports Tourism in Busan

내용

Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that the performance review of the 2025 Seven Bridges Tour, held on September 21, confirmed meaningful achievements in various sectors such as increased tourist inflow, revitalization of the regional economy, and enhancement of the city’s brand image.

The inaugural Seven Bridges Tour drew over 3,000 domestic and international participants, recorded a 96.4 percent completion rate, and had zero medium- or large-scale safety incidents. These outcomes highlight Busan’s competitiveness in global sports tourism and its strong capability in operating mega-events.

The Seven Bridges Tour—designed as the world’s first and largest “urban marine-bridge course” uniquely possible in Busan—sold out within one minute of ticket sales opening. The event accumulated about 800,000 views on social media, and searches for the “Seven Bridges Tour,” previously limited to tourism products, surged by 820 percent compared to the previous year, directly contributing to boosting Busan’s city brand value.

According to data from the Korea Tourism Organization’s Korea Tourism Data Lab and participant surveys, out-of-town participants spent an average of KRW 386,000 per person, generating an estimated KRW 880 million in direct spending.

On the day of the event, the number of domestic visitors to the Busan region reached approximately 53,000, an increase of 21.9 percent from the previous year. Tourism-related spending also rose by 12.3 percent, totaling around KRW 36 billion. The festival atmosphere generated by the Seven Bridges Tour spread across the region, stimulating consumer spending and contributing significantly to the revitalization of the local economy.

Participants from outside Busan accounted for 60 percent of total attendees, indicating a notable shift toward extended-stay consumption with increased spending in dining, transportation, and accommodation. Direct spending in Busan rose by 8.1 percent from the previous year, and average stay duration increased by 2.5 percent, leading to positive outcomes in both local business revenues and visitor stay length.

The satisfaction survey revealed a re-participation intention of 88.4 percent, recommendation intention of 88 percent, and an overall satisfaction score of 83.8 percent, demonstrating the event’s strong potential to expand long-term tourism demand.

Meanwhile, in the Greater China region, Gwangandaegyo Bridge—the event’s main course—rose dramatically in the rankings of popular tourist destinations from 24th place to 3rd. Major international media outlets also highlighted the event, including CNN, whose coverage introduced the Seven Bridges Tour to audiences across Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia. The event was also featured on CNN Travel, indicating rapidly growing global interest.

• ●Related video: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/video/busan-vacation-seven-bridge-bike-race-spc-hnk

Based on this year’s achievements and experience, the city plans to actively pursue:
▲ annualization and enhanced branding of the event
▲ expansion of family-friendly and everyday sports programs such as children’s bicycle festivals
▲ development of sports tourism packages combining tourism passes, accommodations, and commercial districts
▲ strengthened international exchanges by linking with well-known cycling events in Japan, Taiwan, and beyond

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “The Seven Bridges Tour has reaffirmed the powerful ripple effect and future growth potential of sports tourism. We will firmly establish the Seven Bridges Tour as a flagship global sports tourism content of Busan and develop it into a sustainable urban growth engine that promotes citizens’ healthy lives and revitalizes the local economy.”