MOF Relocates to Busan, Korea’s Leading Marine Leisure City, to Promote Marine Leisure Tourism

[Financial News] The rise in the number of foreign tourists visiting Busan, a city leading marine tourism thanks to its exceptional natural environment along the sea, has been remarkable. Through July, the cumulative number of foreign tourists this year exceeded 2.92 million, surpassing the previous annual record. The government has also turned its attention to marine tourism. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) has announced plans to fully develop the marine tourism industry, led by its Marine Leisure Tourism Division.
The Busan Tourism Organization (BTO) held the 2026 Marine Tourism Conference at the KISWIRE MUSEUM on the 31st of last month under the slogan “Creating 6 Million Together: Busan, a Marine Tourism City the World Is Watching.” The event was sponsored by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Busan Bank, and was attended by about 150 people, including MOF officials.

The event highlighted the recent growth of Busan’s tourism industry. In particular, Busan’s share of all foreign tourists visiting Korea surpassed 20% for the first time this year, establishing the city as a major pillar of the country’s inbound tourism market.
The MOF also announced expanded policy support to develop marine tourism as an industry. Based on the Marine Leisure Tourism Promotion Act, which took effect last year, the ministry plans to formulate and implement a “mid- to long-term comprehensive plan” to develop marine leisure tourism as a major cultural industry.
The Busan Tourism Organization appears to have laid the groundwork even before the government began promoting marine leisure tourism. The following is a look at the organization’s major marine leisure tourism projects.
■ Turning Busan’s Sea into an Everyday Healing Space
The “Busan Marine Healing Program,” which uses Busan’s sea as an everyday healing space, is one of its flagship projects. Launched in 2021, the program has expanded in scale and content every year. It has evolved from wellness-focused activities such as beach yoga and sunset Pilates into a range of offerings that combine marine leisure with healing, including ocean running and sound baths.
Major programs include beach yoga, sound walking, beach barre, “Capturing the Sounds of Busan,” and the two-day, one-night Busan Marine Healing program. This year, the organization strengthened festival-style and stay-based content, including the Marine Healing Festa and “Walking Busan Through Sound.” The program has evolved beyond simple hands-on experiences into stay-based tourism products linking local tourism resources, accommodations, and marine leisure activities.

■ Waterfront Night Tourism Against the Backdrop of Suyeong-gang River’s Nightscape and the Human Bridge
The organization has introduced the “Suyeong-gang River Human Bridge Moonlight Tour” as a new way to enjoy marine leisure tourism at night. This year, it also operated the “Suyeong-gang River Human Bridge Moonlight LED SUP Tour,” allowing participants to ride paddleboards equipped with LED lights across the river while taking in the city’s nighttime scenery.
The program is significant because it offers a new tourism experience—“Busan’s night enjoyed on the Suyeong-gang River”—rather than merely providing a water leisure activity. The Human Bridge and surrounding nightscape viewed from the water offer an experience distinct from conventional land-based night tourism. In particular, the Suyeong-gang River Human Bridge Moonlight Tour expands Busan’s nighttime tourism from simply “viewing the nightscape” to “entering the nightscape firsthand.”
■ “Learning About the Sea with Haenyeo”: A Haenyeo Experience
Launched for the first time this year, “Learning About the Sea with Haenyeo” is a local cultural marine tourism program combining Busan’s haenyeo culture with its marine resources. Centered on Gamji Beach in Yeongdo, the program was designed to let visitors experience the sea and the lives of haenyeo alongside actual haenyeo and gain a closer understanding of Busan’s marine culture.
While existing marine leisure tourism has focused on a “sea to enjoy,” through activities such as surfing and yachting, this haenyeo experience stands out by connecting the lives and culture of people who have lived by Busan’s sea with tourism content. If it is linked with local food and tourism resources after the experience, the program also has strong potential to develop into a locally based tourism product connecting the experience, sightseeing, and local spending.
■ Nothing to See in Busan’s Winter Sea? No: Off-Season Marine Leisure Programs
The organization also operates “off-season marine leisure tourism experience programs” to extend Busan’s marine leisure tourism demand, which has been concentrated in the summer peak season, into the fall and winter. These programs offer a variety of marine leisure experiences, including surfing and yachting. The organization continues to identify off-season marine leisure tourism products that can be enjoyed regardless of the season.
Launched in 2024, the project involved 33 businesses that sold a total of 792 products, confirming that demand for marine leisure tourism can continue even after beaches close for the season. This year, the organization expanded experience programs that foreign tourists can easily join and strengthened foreign-language information and booking convenience, broadening the foundation for their participation. Through these efforts, it established a foundation for developing Busan’s marine leisure activities into signature tourism content available year-round.
Meanwhile, the Busan Tourism Organization expects the conference to strengthen its foundation for cooperation with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, which is expanding its marine tourism projects. Expectations are growing over whether Korea’s marine leisure industry can reach the global stage, centered on Busan, a leading marine leisure tourism city, and over the potential synergy from future cooperation between the organization and the MOF.



[email protected] Byeon Ok-hwan Reporter