Busan captivates foreign tourists... 3.43 million visited in just eight months

[Financial News] More than 3.43 million foreign tourists visited Busan through August this year. The city is on track to cross the 3-million mark two months earlier than it did last year, when it surpassed 3 million for the first time in a calendar year. The city of Busan sees the 3-million mark not as the “peak of quantitative expansion” but as a “turning point toward qualitative growth,” and is shifting its policies to focus on length of stay and spending.
The city said on the 8th that 3,434,620 foreign tourists visited Busan from January through August this year.
That was a 45.9% increase from 2,354,267 during the same period last year, more than double the nationwide growth rate of 21.6%.
Busan’s growth stands out as the global tourism market loses momentum. Citing factors including instability in the Middle East and rising travel costs, the World Tourism Organization lowered its forecast for growth in international tourist arrivals worldwide this year from 3–4% to 1–2%. In the first half of the year, growth in international tourist arrivals worldwide was estimated at just 0.4% year over year.
In contrast, Busan continues to grow at a pace far outstripping the global trend.
By country, growth in visitors from long-haul destinations such as the United States, Australia and France is particularly notable.
During this period, 289,382 tourists from the United States visited Busan, up 76.1% from 164,347 during the same period last year. That growth rate was about seven times the nationwide rate of 10.8%.
A total of 48,455 Australian tourists visited Busan, a 43.5% increase from 33,775 last year, while 38,941 French tourists visited, up 111.3% from 18,431 the previous year.
Since visitor numbers from these markets remain relatively small despite their high growth rates, the city plans to expand its marketing and take other steps to increase the number of visitors it attracts.
The city sees this trend not as the peak of quantitative expansion but as a point of transition to qualitative growth.
With Busan becoming more accessible through the integrated operation of KTX and SRT starting in September, the city plans to turn that improvement into longer stays and increased spending by tourists in the region. According to the Korea Railroad Corporation, 2,017,000 passengers used Busan Station in September, up 8.9% from the same month last year.
Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said, “What matters more than the figure of 3 million is that the makeup of our visitors is changing,” adding, “Going forward, I will drive qualitative growth so that Busan becomes a city where tourists stay longer, spend more and return after their first visit.”

[email protected] Kwon Byeong-seok Reporter