Busan is good

Busan Selected for Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s “Wellness Tourism Cluster Activation” Project Mayor Park Heong-joon: “We will create Busan as a city ideal for treatment and healing”

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced today (the 6th) that it has been selected in the medical tourism–focused category of the “Wellness Tourism Cluster Activation Project,” organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), securing KRW 450 million in national funding this year and receiving more than KRW 1.3 billion in support over three years.

Wellness tourism refers to a concept that combines tourism with “wellness,” which signifies well-being and health or happiness, encompassing diverse tourism activities that aim to restore and enhance health and improve quality of life.

MCST evaluated three-year project plans for nine metropolitan and provincial governments that passed the first stage of the “Wellness Tourism Cluster Project (2026–2028)” competition and announced the final selections. The six selected local governments are Busan and Daegu in the medical tourism–focused category, and Gangwon, Incheon, Jeonbuk, and Chungbuk in the wellness tourism–focused category.

In this evaluation, Busan received high scores in areas including feasibility and sustainability of project implementation, job creation through cooperative systems and workforce training, development and advancement of wellness–medical convergence products, and strategies for fostering the healing tourism industry.

This year the city plans to develop convergence content utilizing Busan’s strengths in specialized medical services and marine wellness infrastructure, promote related products through global platforms, train field-based professional personnel in wellness and medical tourism, strengthen Busan’s medical and wellness initiatives centered on leading partner medical institutions, and enhance public–private–academic networks.

In addition, the city will expand wellness and medical tourism experience programs targeting actual demand in order to further increase Busan’s international recognition.

Specifically, the city will carry out initiatives including additional designation and advancement of wellness tourism destinations, hosting the Wellness Festa, development of convergence tourism products, and promotion through global online and offline platforms.

Meanwhile, last year Busan carried out several wellness and medical tourism initiatives, including the designation of seven new wellness tourism destinations, hosting the Wellness Festa, and training 104 medical interpreters in seven languages and linking them with on-site training. The city also organized one-day tours for international patients.

In addition, 625 participants—including international patients—took part in programs connected with wellness tourism destinations. The city also operated a medical tourism business center, hosted forums and seminars, conducted wellness tourism education programs, and developed a wellness tourism slogan.

Furthermore, Busan ranked first in the medical tourism–focused category in the second-year performance evaluation of the “Wellness and Medical Tourism Convergence Cluster Project (2023–2025)” last year.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “This selection presents an excellent opportunity for Busan to leap forward as an even more distinctive purpose-driven tourism city for wellness and medical tourism.” He added, “We will develop Busan’s wellness and medical tourism initiatives into a sustainable industry and brand Busan as a city ideal for treatment and healing—a city that offers a pause in life—while building a foundation for stay-oriented tourism.”