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Global Tourism Slows, but Busan Surges Ahead: Foreign Tourist Arrivals Top 3 Million Two Months Earlier Than Last Year

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Chun Jae-soo) announced that 3,434,620 foreign tourists visited Busan between January and August 2026, with arrivals surpassing 3 million in early August, as projected by the city in July.

Last year marked the first time Busan welcomed more than 3 million foreign tourists in a single year, reaching the milestone in October. This year, the city achieved the same milestone approximately two months earlier. Surpassing 3 million visitors for the second consecutive year demonstrates that Busan's tourism growth is maintaining a stable trajectory.

The number of foreign tourists increased by 45.9% compared with the same period last year (2,354,267 visitors), more than double the nationwide growth rate of 21.6% over the same period.

While the global tourism market has slowed, both South Korea and Busan have demonstrated notable growth. In its latest report, UN Tourism revised its forecast for global international tourist arrivals growth this year downward from 3–4% to 1–2%, citing factors including instability in the Middle East and rising travel costs. In fact, international tourist arrivals worldwide grew by an estimated 0.4% year-on-year in the first half of the year. In contrast, Busan has continued to achieve growth far exceeding the global trend.

※ UN Tourism (September 15, 2026), World Tourism Barometer, Volume 24, Issue 3, September 2026.

Particularly noteworthy is the pace of growth in long-haul markets such as the United States, Australia, and France. A breakdown by nationality clearly shows that Busan's growth rates substantially outpaced the corresponding nationwide averages.

From January to August, 289,382 visitors from the United States traveled to Busan, representing a 76.1% increase from 164,347 during the same period last year. This was approximately seven times the nationwide growth rate of 10.8%. Australia also recorded strong growth, with 48,455 visitors to Busan, up 43.5% from 33,775 a year earlier, more than three times the nationwide growth rate of 13.9%.

Arrivals from France more than doubled, rising 111.3% from 18,431 to 38,941 visitors, compared with a nationwide growth rate of 16.7% over the same period. Visitors from Russia also increased by 16.5%, nearly twice the nationwide growth rate of 9.1%. These figures indicate that the strong growth trend extends beyond individual countries to multiple long-haul markets.

However, although these markets are recording high growth rates, their visitor volumes remain relatively modest. Busan Metropolitan City therefore plans to expand its marketing efforts and other initiatives to increase the number of tourists from these markets.

Significant shifts are also evident in short-haul markets. From January to August, the cumulative number of visitors from China reached 719,260, an 88.2% increase from 382,134 during the same period last year. This was approximately three times the nationwide growth rate of 29.0%.

Malaysia (Busan +35.5%, nationwide +12.6%) and Singapore (Busan +25.0%, nationwide +11.9%) also recorded growth rates more than twice their respective national averages, highlighting differences in growth patterns among Southeast Asian markets.

Busan Metropolitan City regards this trend not as the peak of quantitative expansion but as a turning point toward qualitative growth. In August, the city welcomed 506,946 visitors, almost the same number as in July (507,045), indicating that the pace of monthly growth has begun to moderate.

Meanwhile, accessibility to Busan has improved further since integrated KTX and SRT operations began in September. According to the Korea Railroad Corporation, the number of high-speed train services on the Gyeongbu Line increased by two per day, while the number of available high-speed train seats rose by 5–7%. In September, Busan Station recorded 2.017 million passengers, an 8.9% increase compared with the same month last year.

To translate these improvements in accessibility into longer stays and greater spending by foreign tourists, Busan Metropolitan City plans to shift its tourism policies in the second half of the year away from simply increasing visitor arrivals and toward qualitative indicators, including extending the length of stays, encouraging spending across the local economy, and increasing repeat visitation rates.

Mayor Chun Jae-soo stated, "What matters more than reaching 3 million visitors is the changing composition of tourists coming to Busan. The fact that visitor growth from long-haul markets such as the United States, Australia, and France is several times higher than the nationwide averages signals that Busan is establishing itself as a destination chosen by independent long-haul travelers, moving beyond its traditional role as a destination for group tourists from nearby countries."

He added, "Going forward, we will drive qualitative growth to make Busan a city where visitors stay longer, spend more, and choose to return."