Busan is good

Busan Surpasses 3 Million Foreign Tourists and Sets a Bold Vision for 5 Million by 2028

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that, as of the end of October this year, the total number of foreign tourists visiting Busan reached 3,019,164, surpassing the 3-million mark for the first time.

This is the first achievement since official statistics began in 2014 and represents a 23-percent increase compared to the same period last year (2,451,057 visitors).

By country/region, the top visitors came from Taiwan (564,496), China (483,069), Japan (430,617), the United States (209,468), and the Philippines (146,051). Compared to the same period last year (January–October 2024), eight countries/regions* recorded a visitor increase of more than 20 percent. This indicates growing demand from new markets, beyond Busan’s traditional major inbound countries.
*Taiwan, China, Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Russia, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom

The rise in foreign tourists has been driven by strategies that enhance Busan’s identity and appeal, including expanding experience-based travel content, successful hosting of integrated mega-events showcasing the region’s unique narratives, and strengthening offerings in gastronomy and cruise tourism.

Major events that brought cultural resources from across Busan—such as film, performing arts, music, and gastronomy—into a unified “Festival October” program played an important role. Other major attractions included the urban seaside bridge cycling festival “Seven Bridge Tour,” the globally recognized “Busan International Rock Festival,” and the Busan International Film Festival, marking its 30th anniversary as Asia’s largest film festival.

In addition, Busan showcased its appeal through its own style of extended-stay tourism programs, including expanded year-round marine leisure programs utilizing seven beaches and the Suyeong River, the “Busan-style vacation remote work (workation)” initiative aligned with the growing digital nomad trend, and enhanced nighttime tourism content such as “Night Music Camknic” and “Night Market.”

Foreign tourist spending also demonstrated strong performance. Between January and October, foreign tourists spent KRW 859.2 billion in Busan, a 31.5-percent year-on-year increase—the highest growth rate among all regions nationwide.

With Busan tourism entering a new phase, the city unveiled new goals: attracting 5 million foreign tourists and achieving KRW 1.5 trillion in annual foreign tourist spending by 2028.

Under the vision of “A Global Tourism City Leading the Era of 5 Million Foreign Tourists by 2028,” the city will pursue five strategies and 15 key initiatives.

The first strategy, “Global Tourism City Branding,” focuses on globalizing major K-culture-based mega-events to promote Busan’s appeal worldwide.
The second strategy, “Enhancing Tourism Competitiveness,” aims to secure world-class transportation accessibility—through airports and seaports—while strengthening AI-powered services to innovate Busan’s tourism paradigm.
The third strategy, “Expanding Tourism Reach,” seeks to overcome geographic limitations by building a metropolitan cluster of tourism destinations in collaboration with neighboring regions.
The fourth strategy aims to expand “Diverse Experiences Unique to Busan,” maximizing Busan’s tourism appeal through popular themed experiences, global marine tourism content, and distinctive cultural and tourism infrastructure.
The final strategy focuses on “Fostering High Value-added Purpose Tourism,” strengthening MICE, medical and wellness tourism, and Busan-style vacation remote work (workation) to develop new engines for tourism growth.

Recognizing that surpassing 3 million foreign tourists and achieving 5 million requires a differentiated approach, the city prepared three core implementation plans centered on expanding tourism infrastructure, reach, and content.

[Expansion of Infrastructure]
First, Busan will expand innovative infrastructure ranging from tourism facilities to traveler-centered smart tourism environments. It will elevate the city’s cultural stature by developing high-end cultural infrastructure such as the Busan Opera House and the Pompidou Centre Busan. It will also foster Hwangnyeongsan as a core tourism hub and develop the original downtown area as a new tourism belt.

Busan will strengthen global accessibility by expanding mid- to long-haul flight routes at Gimhae Airport, including local-airport-exclusive traffic rights and new international routes.
The construction of BEXCO Exhibition Center III will enhance the city’s MICE competitiveness, while redeveloping the Suyeongman Yacht Stadium will create a new landmark for marine leisure.
Additionally, Busan will build a traveler-centered smart tourism system through enhancements to the AI-powered Visit Busan tourism portal, expansion of the Visit Busan Pass, and improvements to foreigner-friendly public transportation payment systems.

[Expansion of Reach]
Second, Busan aims to build an extensive tourism zone encompassing the broader southern region while pioneering new overseas markets.
Domestically, Busan will develop themed tourism for each district—premium resort-type tourism in East Busan, eco–nature-based tourism in West Busan, and history–culture-based tourism in the original downtown—transforming the entire city into a multidimensional tourism destination.
Externally, the city will lead a metropolitan-scale tourism network through the establishment of a second inbound tourism belt and southern regional tourism hubs, generating synergistic regional development.
Busan also plans to strengthen customized marketing strategies targeting emerging overseas markets such as the Americas and Southeast Asia.

[Expansion of Content]
Third, Busan will expand diverse tourism content—including marine tourism, gastronomy, ecological and nighttime tourism, mega-events, and vacation remote work (workation)—to encourage value-driven consumption that can only be enjoyed in Busan and to revitalize the local economy.
The city will lead year-round marine tourism through the introduction of amphibious tour buses and maritime tourist taxis, while expanding night-tourism programs that showcase the city after dark.
Busan will activate ecological and hiking tourism through the designation of the Nakdong River as a National Garden and the development of tourism linked with Geumjeongsan, while establishing workation programs as co-prosperity models that boost long-term stays.
The city will also strengthen its gastronomic branding by expanding Michelin Guide selections and attracting global culinary events such as Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, while leveraging mega-events like the Busan International Film Festival and the Busan Fireworks Festival to elevate Busan’s cultural brand worldwide.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “Our city has firmly established itself as an attractive global destination by opening the era of 3 million foreign tourists. What is even more encouraging is that 84.8 percent of foreign tourists who visited Busan said they would like to return.”

He added, “With unwavering confidence that ‘a fun city ultimately wins,’ we will raise the level of Busan’s cultural and tourism content, build seamless global tourism infrastructure, and ensure that the era of 5 million foreign tourists by 2028 becomes a reality—directly enhancing the quality of life and pride of our citizens.”