Korea's first cruise tourism special zone, encompassing the International Passenger Terminal, Busan Station and the Chinatown area, will be established in Busan.
The Busan Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it had finalized the designation of an area in Dong-gu as a "Cruise Tourism Special Zone." It is the third tourism special zone in Busan, following the Haeundae Tourism Special Zone (1994) and the Yongdusan-Jagalchi Tourism Special Zone (2008), and the first designated in 18 years. In particular, it is Korea's first tourism special zone centered on the theme of cruises.
The tourism special zone covers approximately 1.48 square kilometers, including the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal, Busan Station, Chinatown, Choryang Traditional Market, Choryang Ibagu-gil, and the former Choryang Japanese-style house, a registered national cultural heritage site. The core aim is to bind the cruise entry gateway and the historical and cultural tourism resources of the old downtown into a single tourism belt to expand stay-based tourism.
The city received the application from Dong-gu, confirmed that the legal requirements were met through investigation and analysis by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, and finalized the designation after consultation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
With the tourism special zone designation, the area will be eligible for various institutional support, including funding from the Tourism Promotion and Development Fund, participation in state-funded projects, eased regulations on outdoor advertising, and special provisions in district unit planning. Based on this, the city expects private investment and the expansion of tourism infrastructure to be revitalized.
The economic ripple effects are also expected to be significant. The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute analyzed that a tourism special zone designation has the effect of growing the local economy by an average of 5.5%. The city projected that, combined with the increase in floating population from the relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the effects of the North Port redevelopment, this would lead to the recovery of the stagnant old downtown commercial district and job creation.
In particular, the city plans to expand tourism content that links the North Port landmark site with cruise tourists, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the North Port redevelopment project and fostering it as a central axis of tourism revitalization in the old downtown.
Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said, "The Dong-gu Cruise Tourism Special Zone will become a key hub that opens the era of 'Busan, a maritime capital, with 6 million foreign tourists.'" He added, "We will elevate maritime tourism, including cruises, and the tourism resources of the old downtown to a world-class level to create a global tourism city that both citizens and tourists visit."
