City's 45.9% year-on-year growth runs counter to UN Tourism's downgraded global outlook; more than double the national rate

Monthly cumulative figures for foreign visitors to Busan by year [Provided by Busan city government]
Monthly cumulative figures for foreign visitors to Busan by year [Provided by Busan city government]

About 3,434,620 foreign tourists visited Busan between January and August this year, surpassing the 3 million mark in early August as the city had forecast in July, Busan city government announced Thursday.

Last year was the first time annual foreign arrivals to Busan exceeded 3 million, with the milestone reached in October. This year the city hit that threshold two months earlier, marking two consecutive years above 3 million. The figure represents a 45.9 percent increase from the 2,354,267 visitors recorded in the same period last year — more than double the national growth rate of 21.6 percent.

Busan's momentum stands out against a sluggish global tourism market. In a September announcement, UN Tourism lowered its forecast for global international tourist growth this year from 3–4 percent to 1–2 percent, citing instability in the Middle East and rising travel costs. In practice, global international tourist arrivals grew just 0.4 percent year-on-year in the first half of the year on an estimated basis. Busan has been tracking well above that global trend.

Particularly notable is the pace of growth from long-haul markets such as the United States, Australia and France. American visitors to Busan totaled 289,382 from January through August, up 76.1 percent from 164,347 in the same period last year — roughly seven times the national growth rate of 10.8 percent. Australia sent 48,455 visitors, a 43.5 percent increase from 33,775 the previous year, more than three times the national rate of 13.9 percent.

France contributed 38,941 visitors, more than doubling from 18,431 the year before — a 111.3 percent increase against a national growth rate of 16.7 percent for the same period. Russia also posted a 16.5 percent increase in Busan arrivals, nearly twice the national rate of 9.1 percent, suggesting the long-haul surge is not confined to any single country.

Short-haul markets also outperformed national averages. Chinese visitors reached 719,260 in the January–August period, up 88.2 percent from 382,134 a year earlier — about three times the national growth rate of 29.0 percent. Malaysia posted a 35.5 percent increase in Busan arrivals against a national rate of 12.6 percent, while Singapore rose 25.0 percent compared with 11.9 percent nationally, highlighting variation across Southeast Asian markets.

City officials view the trend not as the peak of quantitative expansion but as a turning point toward qualitative growth. August arrivals of 506,946 were nearly identical to July's 507,045, while accessibility to Busan has improved since integrated KTX and SRT rail operations began in September. According to Korea Railroad Corporation, high-speed train services on the Gyeongbu Line increased by two round trips per day and available seats on express trains expanded by 5–7 percent. Busan Station handled about 2.017 million passengers in September, up 8.9 percent from the same month last year.

To convert improved accessibility into longer stays and greater local spending, the city plans to shift its policy focus in the second half of the year away from simply attracting more visitors and toward qualitative indicators — extending average length of stay, broadening local consumption and raising the rate of return visits.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com