Foreign tourists in hanbok, Korea's traditional dress, pose at Gamcheon Cultural Village in Saha District, Busan, May 26, 2025. Yonhap.
Busan welcomed more than 1.02 million foreign tourists in the first quarter of this year, surpassing the 1 million mark faster than ever, as the southern port city emerges as a fast-rising tourist destination in Asia.
The Busan Metropolitan Government said Friday that the speed with which the number of international visitors exceeded 1 million was the fastest since the city began tracking foreign tourist arrivals in 2014, surpassing last April's record by a month. By nationality, Taiwan led with 208,984 visitors, accounting for about 20 percent of the total, followed by China with 197,958, Japan with 130,217, the United States with 81,437 and Vietnam with 44,352.
Visitors from the Philippines, Hong Kong and Indonesia rounded out the top eight, a spread the city said reflects growing market diversification, putting it on track for its goal of drawing 5 million foreign visitors by 2028. Foreign tourist spending in the first quarter also rose to 235.5 billion won ($159.4 million), up 26.4 percent from the same period last year.
The city credited the growth to expanded maritime tourism through cruise promotion, the Visit Busan Pass program, improved visitor convenience via online payment services Line Pay and Alipay.
On the cruise front, Busan attracted global cruise ships and the country's first fly-rail-and-cruise homeport program, where passengers fly into Incheon International Airport and ride KTX, Korea's fastest railway service, to Busan and board their cruise ship. The city also expanded shore excursion offerings to include local festivals, food and community experiences.
With cruise arrivals from China surging in the first quarter — port calls jumping from 31 to 89 and passengers from 57,964 to 180,388 compared with the same period last year — the city projects roughly 800,000 tourists will arrive by cruise this year, more than double last year's total.
Beyond cruises, sales of the Visit Busan Pass, a tourism pass for foreign visitors bundling transportation, attractions and discounts, jumped 65 percent, from 37,863 passes in the first two months of last year to 62,444 over the same period this year. The city expanded pickup locations to include Incheon and Gimpo international airports and linked the pass with Line Pay and Alipay.
The city said it hopes to sustain the momentum with BTS' "ARIRANG" world tour concerts in Busan, scheduled for June 12 and 13, expecting the events to boost second-quarter arrivals and repeat visits.
“Busan's tourism brand value is rising, with visitor numbers and spending growing in tandem,” said Kim Kyung-duk, acting mayor of Busan, adding that the city aims to become a global tourism hub where both residents and visitors benefit.
Source: Korea Times News
