Busan, South Korea – The number of Taiwanese and Hong Kong tourists visiting Busan is expected to reach a record high this year.

The Busan Metropolitan City and Busan Tourism Organization announced on October 28th that they anticipate a record number of visitors from Taiwan and Hong Kong in 2023. According to the Busan Tourism Organization, the cumulative number of foreign tourists visiting Busan from January to August reached 1.9 million. Among them, Taiwanese tourists accounted for the largest proportion with 323,903, marking a 209% increase compared to the same period last year. Hong Kong tourists also showed significant growth, reaching 88,008, a 493% increase compared to the previous year.

These remarkable figures are attributed to various efforts undertaken by the city and tourism organization to attract foreign visitors. In the first half of the year, the Busan Tourism Organization supported the filming of a popular Taiwanese variety show in Busan and conducted extensive online promotions. Additionally, they actively participated in offline promotions such as the Taipei International Travel Fair in May, the Hong Kong International Travel Expo in June, and the Busan Brand Store Roadshow in Taipei in July.

Looking ahead, the city plans to continue its efforts to attract more tourists. Busan will participate in the Taipei International Travel Fair (November 1-4) with 15 local tourism businesses to conduct B2B consultations and B2C promotions. In early December, the city will participate in a K-Pop (indie band) and food festival in Kaohsiung, the largest city in southern Taiwan, to promote Busan's culinary scene. Additionally, the city will collaborate with airlines to increase flight frequencies and open new routes. To celebrate the launch of the Jeju Air Kaohsiung-Busan route (October 29) and the Air Busan Hong Kong-Busan route (November 14), welcome events will be held. A familiarization trip for Hong Kong tourism industry professionals will also be organized to promote the Hong Kong route.

Lee Jung-sil, president of the Busan Tourism Organization, stated, "We will continue to develop regional tourism products and strengthen efforts to attract special interest tourists (SITs), in addition to promoting Busan's unique content, to improve the quality of our marketing in the Chinese market."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]