BUSAN — Busan is emerging as a new hub for inbound tourism as more foreign travelers head directly to regional destinations without passing through the Seoul metropolitan area. One in four foreign visitors to South Korea now goes to Busan, and 98% of foreigners arriving at Gimhae International Airport stayed in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province rather than traveling to Seoul or elsewhere in the capital region. Analysts say Busan is establishing itself as a standalone destination, breaking from the long-held assumption that a trip to Korea means a trip to Seoul.
Busan drew 2,927,674 foreign visitors from January through July, up 46.1% from a year earlier, according to city tourism data released on the 6th. That is more than double the 21.3% growth rate for foreign visitors nationwide. The city reached 73.2% of its 4 million annual target in just seven months and is estimated to have passed the 3 million mark in early August. Last year it did not top 3 million until around October.
The pace has accelerated recently. Busan received 507,045 foreign visitors in July, a monthly record. That accounted for 24.2% of all foreign arrivals in the country that month, or roughly one in four.
The shift toward Busan as a destination in its own right, rather than a stopover en route to Seoul, is especially clear. Of the 1,014,341 foreigners who arrived at Gimhae Airport in the first half of the year, 50.2% stayed in Busan and 47.9% visited nearby areas including South Gyeongsang Province and Ulsan, the Korea Tourism Organization said. Only 1.9% traveled to the capital region.
The growth is not limited to nearby markets such as Japan, China and Taiwan. American visitors to Busan totaled 259,675 from January through July, a 78.4% jump from a year earlier. That is more than six times the 11.6% growth rate for American arrivals to Korea overall. Despite the absence of direct flights between the United States and Busan, the sharp increase in long-haul visitors points to the city's own draw in marine tourism, food and culture.
The influx is feeding local spending. Foreigners charged 742.3 billion won on credit cards in Busan over the same period, up 50.8% from a year earlier and second only to Seoul nationwide. Medical tourism spending surged 118.4%, with Busan accounting for 37.0% of all medical tourism spending outside Seoul.
The city plans to convert visitor growth into longer stays and higher spending to cement its position as a global tourism hub. Starting with Busan Global City Week in September, it will host Festival October, the Busan International Rock Festival and the Global City Tourism Summit in October to encourage foreign visitors to extend their stays.
"The fact that 98% of arrivals at Gimhae Airport stay in the southeastern region is an indicator that Busan has the potential to grow into a global tourism city in its own right," Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said. "Beyond how many people come, we will focus the city's capabilities on qualitative growth — how long they stay and how deeply they experience the city."
