Surpassing Three Million Foreign Tourists, Busan Eyes Five Million
- Contents
-
Surpassing Three Million Foreign Tourists, Busan Eyes Five Million
□ As of the end of October 2025, Busan Metropolitan City recorded 3,019,164 inbound visitors, breaking the three-million threshold for the first time since official statistics were compiled in 2014.
○ This represents an increase of approximately 23 percent from a year earlier (2,451,057).
□ The top source markets were ▲ 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 (cumulative through October 2024), eight countries* posted a rise exceeding 20%, which indicates that Busan is drawing interest both from traditional and emerging areas.
*Taiwan, China, Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Russia, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom
□ Multifaceted approaches—spanning gastronomy and cruise tourism, cross-disciplinary mega events celebrating Busan’s local narratives, and experiential stays—have intensified Busan’s identity and enticed more and more international arrivals.
○ Mega events include ▲ Festival Shiwol, which blends film, performance, music, cuisine, and other resources, ▲ the urban marine bridge cycling festival ‘Seven Bridges Tour,’ ▲ the Busan International Rock Festival, a haven for rock music enthusiasts, and ▲ the Busan International Film Festival, Asia’s largest, marking its 30th anniversary.
○ Busan also showcases stay-type programs: ▲ four-season water recreational activities at the city’s seven beaches and the Suyeonggang River, ▲ Busan Workation (remote work and vacation) designed for digital nomads, and ▲ noctourism—Night Music Campnic and Night Market.
□ Foreign tourist spending through October 2025 reached 859.2 billion won, up 31.5 percent year-on-year—the highest nationwide.
□ Building on this momentum, Busan aims to attract five million foreign tourists by 2028 and achieve an annual expenditure of 1.5 trillion won.
□ Anchored in the vision of ‘Roadmap to Five Million Foreign Tourists by 2028 as a Global Tourism City,’ Busan will roll out five strategic pillars and fifteen initiatives.
○ ▲ ‘Global Tourism City Branding’ will globalize and amplify K-culture-oriented mega events. ▲ ‘Strengthening Tourism Competitiveness’ will refine world-class air and port connectivity and overall convenience, while fostering AI-powered, state-of-the-art services.
○ ▲ ‘Extending the Tourism Domain’ will play a pivotal role in a super-wide tourism zone in collaboration with neighboring municipalities, intending to rival the Seoul Metropolitan Area and transcend regional limitations. ▲ ‘Offering Distinctive Experiences’ will diversify options, covering culinary, nighttime, and maritime tourism enriched with inspired ideas.
○ ▲ ‘Cultivating High Value-Added Purpose Tourism’ will facilitate MICE, medical care, wellness, and workation, unlocking fresh avenues for growth.
□ In order to move past three million and toward five million foreign visitors, Busan has outlined three implementation steps focused on infrastructure, scope, and content.
□ [Infrastructure] From tourism amenities to traveler-friendly smart environments, cutting-edge infrastructure will continue to be upgraded.
○ Landmark projects—the Busan Opera House and the Centre Pompidou Busan—will elevate the city’s stature; Hwangnyeongsan Mountain will be developed as a core tourism hub, and the old downtown area will transform into a rejuvenated tourism belt.
○ Mid- to long-haul routes at Gimhae International Airport, endorsed by traffic rights for regional airports and new launches, will accelerate global accessibility.
○ The construction of BEXCO’s third exhibition hall will bolster the city’s MICE appeal, and the redevelopment of the Busan Yachting Center will reveal a marine leisure icon.
○ A traveler-friendly smart environment will be supported by the AI-based Busan tourism portal ‘Visit Busan.’ The Visit Busan Pass and mass transit fare systems will be revamped as well.
□ [Scope] Busan will champion a super-wide tourism zone across the southern part of Korea and tap into overseas audiences.
○ District-themed tourism—East Busan (premium resorts), West Busan (ecology and nature), and the old downtown (history and culture)—will shape Busan into a well-rounded locale.
○ Externally, Busan will spearhead super-wide tourism by forming a secondary inbound tourism expanse and a southern-region tourism nucleus, generating synergies.
○ Targeted marketing in Europe, the Americas, and Southeast Asia will be amplified.
□ [Content] Busan will deliver comprehensive excursions, including ocean, food, ecology, nighttime, mega events, and workation, to empower value-driven consumption unique to the city and invigorate the local economy.
○ Year-round coastal adventures using amphibious buses and water taxis, plus after-dark tour products, will be promoted.
○ The Nakdonggang National Garden and its linkage with Geumjeongsan Mountain will stimulate eco-tourism and hiking; community-integrated workation models will encourage longer trips.
○ Busan will reinforce its reputation as a gourmet hotspot with Michelin Guide restaurants and international showcases, such as Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and capitalize on mega events like the Busan International Film Festival and the Busan Fireworks Festival.
□ Mayor Park Heong-joon remarked, “With Busan entering the era of three million international travelers, it is gaining recognition worldwide as a compelling getaway. Particularly heartening is that 84.8 percent of guests expressed an intention to return.”
□ He added, “Steered by the belief that ‘a fun city prevails,’ we will solidify Busan’s cultural and tourism profile and meticulously forge global-standard assets to attain the goal of five million foreign tourists by 2028, which will directly improve quality of life and civic pride.”
