Welcome kits handed out to arriving passengers at Gimhae Airport

Chinese-speaking tourists show growing enthusiasm for Busan

Organization pledges 'ONLY BUSAN' content development

The Busan Tourism Organization holds a welcoming event Monday for the first tourists to arrive on Eastar Jet's new Hong Kong–Busan route at Gimhae International Airport. [Busan Tourism Organization]
The Busan Tourism Organization holds a welcoming event Monday for the first tourists to arrive on Eastar Jet's new Hong Kong–Busan route at Gimhae International Airport. [Busan Tourism Organization]

The Busan city government and the Busan Tourism Organization, together with the Korea Tourism Organization's Busan-Ulsan-South Gyeongsang Province branch, held a welcoming event Monday at Gimhae International Airport for passengers arriving on the inaugural flight of Eastar Jet's Hong Kong–Busan route.

The organization distributed tourism promotional materials and welcome kits to about 200 arriving passengers from Hong Kong and ran a commemorative photo program featuring Bugi, Busan's official mascot character. Visitors also received branded souvenirs, information on the Visit Busan Pass and travel maps.

The event was organized to mark the launch of the new Hong Kong–Busan route and to encourage first-time and repeat visits from Hong Kong tourists. The organization plans to link the expanded air access to product development with local tourism businesses as part of a broader effort to attract more visitors.

Busan has been gaining traction as a popular destination among Chinese-speaking tourists, spurring new route launches and additional flights. According to the organization, about 3.43 million foreign tourists visited Busan between January and August this year, with visitors from Chinese-speaking regions accounting for the largest share.

To convert that interest into actual visits, the organization will participate in the Taipei International Travel Fair — Taiwan's largest travel expo — from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9. At the fair, which is expected to draw about 380,000 visitors, the organization plans to conduct sales calls targeting local travel industry players and run consumer-facing promotions.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com