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Busan Metropolitan City Holds 2026 Regional Medical Tourism Council Meeting to Discuss Revitalizing Local Medical Tourism

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Busan Metropolitan City, under Acting Mayor Kim Kyung-duk, announced that it held the “2026 Regional Medical Tourism Council Meeting” at Haeundae Homers Hotel on May 20 at 2:00 p.m. in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization.

A total of 47 participants attended the meeting, including representatives from 14 leading medical institutions specializing in attracting international patients, general hospitals, and medical tourism agencies, where they discussed the future direction and cooperation strategies for Busan’s medical tourism industry.

Held in Busan for the first time in 2026, the event proceeded with a report on the Korea Tourism Organization’s medical tourism initiatives, proposals for revitalizing regional medical tourism, and the collection of opinions from participating institutions.

The Korea Tourism Organization shared the major achievements of its medical tourism projects in 2025 as well as its key project plans for 2026, emphasizing the need to strengthen cooperation systems with regional medical institutions and medical tourism agencies in order to enhance the competitiveness of regional medical tourism.

Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on various pending issues and policy tasks related to revitalizing Busan’s medical tourism industry, including measures to build medical tourism infrastructure, develop region-specific content, shorten electronic visa issuance periods, share the Korea Tourism Organization’s mid- to long-term business plans, and promote cruise-linked medical tourism.

In particular, working-level professionals from leading medical institutions and medical tourism agencies specializing in attracting international patients proposed the need for institutional improvements and expanded administrative support to revitalize the medical tourism industry. This served as an opportunity for Busan Metropolitan City, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korea Tourism Organization to explore more effective policy directions and cooperative frameworks.

Na Yoon-bin, Director General of the Tourism and MICE Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “Last year, the number of medical tourists visiting Busan surpassed 75,000, achieving the highest figure ever recorded and ranking second nationwide. At a time when both the government and local regions are concentrating their capabilities on fostering the medical tourism industry through cooperation, this is a critical moment for Busan to leap forward as a key global medical tourism hub.”

He added, “We will continue to communicate closely with central government ministries and related organizations so that the vivid voices from the field can be actively reflected in policy.”