Busan, the first 5 million foreign tourists... 3.93 million people by September

The number of foreign tourists visiting Busan this year is expected to exceed 5 million for the first time.

After exceeding 3 million for the first time last year and approaching 4 million, we are now looking at exceeding 5 million in just one year.

Busan City announced on the 6th that the number of foreign tourists who visited Busan from January to September this year was counted at 3,934,876.

Last year, the number of visitors exceeded 3,643,439 in just 9 months, and the annual target of attracting 4 million people is on the verge of being reached.

The number of visitors from January to September this year increased by 47.0% from 2,676,915 during the same period last year. It is 2.2 times the national growth rate of 21.5% during the same period.

The proportion of visitors to Busan among foreigners visiting Korea also increased by 4.0 percentage points from 19.0% to 23.0%.

Busan City predicted that if this increase continues, the cumulative number of visitors by the end of the year will exceed 5 million.

The city cited the increase in direct entry through Gimhae International Airport and Busan Port and the diversification of the tourism market as factors contributing to the increase in visitors.

Busan is establishing itself as a travel destination rather than a simple transit point, and due to the diversification of the tourism market, the decrease in visitors is not significant even in the off-season.

The number of visitors in September increased by 55.0% compared to the same month last year, exceeding the national growth rate of 21.1%, and the proportion of visitors to Busan among foreigners visiting Korea was 24.3%.

The number of visitors by country from January to September showed a steep increase in Western countries, including 324,816 people from the United States (an increase of 77.2%), 43,165 people from France (an increase of 106.5%), 59,384 people from the United Kingdom (an increase of 29.2%), and 57,089 people from Australia (an increase of 47.8%).

The increased number of visitors also led to increased consumption, and foreigner card spending in Busan from January to September this year was calculated to be 1.0162 trillion won.

Aside from Seoul, Busan is the only city whose revenue exceeds 1 trillion won.

CNN in the U.S. introduced Busan as 'Asia's next-generation coastal city', Airbnb's search volume for accommodations in Busan increased by 30% over the past year, and Expedia selected Busan as the only Korean travel destination among the top 10 '2027 Travel Destinations of the Year'.

Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said, “We will focus on qualitative growth in tourism so that tourists can stay longer and return to the city again.”