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Busan's Leap Towards Becoming a Global Tourist Hub
In April 2025, the number of foreign tourists visiting Busan surpassed one million, setting the fastest record ever.
This represents the fastest growth since Busan officially announced the number of foreign tourists in 2014, indicating that Busan tourism is not just recovering but is actually growing.
Notably, the figure represents approximately a 24% increase compared to before COVID-19, which highlights efforts to diversify inbound tourism and enhance local tourism competitiveness.
Three Main Factors for the Surge in Foreign Tourists
Busan is attracting foreign tourists with its unique tourist resources. Notably, culinary tourism is receiving the highest ratings in satisfaction surveys among foreign tourists.
The city of Busan is providing diverse culinary experiences through high-end restaurants run by Michelin-star chefs and by attracting Asia's 50 Best Restaurants. Additionally, it promotes cost-effective dining options through the 'Taksurlang' festival aimed at revitalizing the old downtown area.
Secondly, the expansion of marine tourism infrastructure has brought significant results in attracting cruise tourism. Intensive marketing in major cities such as Shanghai, Manila, and Tokyo, along with the expansion of tourist landing permits and the development of tourism products linked to traditional markets and festivals, have greatly increased both the length of stay and spending of foreign tourists.
Thirdly, efforts to enhance convenience for foreign tourists are yielding results. The ‘Visit Busan Pass’ is a free access card exclusive to foreigners that integrates transportation, tourism, and discount benefits, with 97% of users giving positive feedback. Additionally, the collaboration with WeChat Pay, a major mobile payment service in China, has improved payment convenience for Chinese tourists, further contributing to customer satisfaction.
Tourist Satisfaction, 2nd Among Major Northeast Asian Cities
![[Yanolza Research] Insight Vol.27. Comparison and Analysis of Tourist Products in Major Northeast Asian Cities](https://storage.googleapis.com/kr-inside-media/images/7dcc3713-f9ab-45d8-8ac5-75addced6380.png)
According to data analysis from TripAdvisor, Busan ranked 2nd in consumer satisfaction for tourist products among the eight major cities in Northeast Asia.
The average rating stood at 4.90 points with a quality variance of just 0.25 points, receiving an excellent evaluation. In particular, content capturing Busan's unique charm, such as Gamcheon Cultural Village, Haeundae, and Jagalchi Market, received high scores.
![[Yanolza Research] Insight Vol.27. Comparison and Analysis of Tourist Products in Major Northeast Asian Cities](https://storage.googleapis.com/kr-inside-media/images/354af903-f5e4-4d68-9609-8553dc9a233f.png)
This indicator suggests that the "small but high-quality content strategy" has been successful. Busan’s tourism products prioritize quality over quantity, leaving a deep impression on foreign tourists.
Busan City Leaps Towards 3 Million Foreign Tourists
Based on this achievement, Busan is establishing a sustainable growth strategy. It aims to strengthen its global festival brand, introduce marine transportation, and expand stay-type content. In the latter half of the year, Busan International Rock Festival and Busan Fireworks Festival will be linked with K-content to commercialize tourism products, enhancing the global brand value.
To improve marine tourism infrastructure, transportation methods such as amphibious buses and water taxis will be introduced. This change is expected to enhance tourism convenience, activate joint tourism connecting Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, and create a sustainable tourism ecosystem centered around long-term stay-type content.
Conclusion
Busan is now no longer just a simple tourist destination but has established itself as an 'experience-oriented global tourism hub.' The goal of attracting one million foreign tourists by April 2025 is just the beginning.
Busan clearly demonstrates its potential for continuous growth as a tourism city through the enhancement of stay-type content, expansion of digital tourism services, and international marketing strategies. These efforts are contributing to the development of Busan as an even more attractive tourist destination.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What does it mean that Busan surpassed 1 million foreign tourists in April 2025?
Busan has proven its tourism growth by exceeding 1 million foreign tourists in the shortest time.
In April 2025, the number of foreign tourists visiting Busan surpassed 1 million, setting the fastest record ever. This figure shows significant improvement in local tourism competitiveness, with an increase of approximately 24% compared to before COVID-19, reflecting a diversification of the Busan tourism market and successful policies, solidifying its position as a global tourism hub.
Q. Why is Busan evaluated as an attractive culinary tourism destination for foreign tourists?
We offer diverse taste experiences through Michelin chefs and various culinary festivals.
The city of Busan provides excellent culinary experiences for foreign tourists through high-end restaurants run by Michelin-star chefs and by attracting Asia's 50 Best Restaurants. Additionally, the 'Taksurlang' festival promotes cost-effective local eateries in the old downtown area, enhancing culinary tourism. It is one of the highest-rated tourism elements among foreign tourists, effectively promoting Busan's unique culinary culture.
Q. How do the Visit Busan Pass and WeChat Pay help foreign tourists?
They significantly enhance tourism convenience through transportation and tourism discount passes and simplified payments.
The Visit Busan Pass is a free access card for foreigners that integrates transportation, tourism, and discount benefits, receiving positive feedback from 97% of users. The integration with WeChat Pay, a leading mobile payment service in China, has increased payment convenience, especially improving satisfaction rates among Chinese tourists. This service makes the experience of staying more convenient, further strengthening Busan's tourism competitiveness.
Q. How does Busan's marine tourism infrastructure play a role in attracting foreign tourists?
It has increased stay and consumption through expanded cruise tourism and linked tourism product development.
Busan has strengthened its marine tourism infrastructure through focused marketing to major cities like Shanghai, Manila, and Tokyo, along with policies to expand tourist landing permits. Successful development of tourism products linked to traditional markets and festivals has resulted in increased length of stay and foreign tourist spending. Plans are underway to improve tourism convenience and enhance linked tourism through the introduction of amphibious buses and water taxis.
Q. What is the background of Busan ranking 2nd in consumer satisfaction among major Northeast Asian cities according to TripAdvisor surveys?
The high-quality content strategy and Busan’s unique tourist attractions received high evaluations.
According to TripAdvisor data, Busan achieved an average rating of 4.90 and ranked 2nd among the eight major cities of Northeast Asia. Tourist attractions reflecting the unique charm of Busan, such as Gamcheon Cultural Village, Haeundae, and Jagalchi Market, received high scores. This demonstrates Busan's successful implementation of a "small but high-quality content strategy," impressing foreign tourists and positively influencing return visit rates.
