The Busan Tourism Organization (President Lee Jeong-sil, hereinafter referred to as the BTO) announced on the 13th that it received the Minister of the Interior and Safety Award (Regional Coexistence Grand Prize) at the 2nd Public Enterprise Management Awards held on the 8th, hosted by Seoul Shinmun and sponsored by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. This evaluation comprehensively assesses local public enterprises and affiliated institutions nationwide for management innovation, social responsibility, and best practices in regional coexistence.

The BTO was recognized for its pioneering efforts in “tourism-specialized regional coexistence management,” going beyond simple tourist acquisition to leverage its unique capabilities so that tourism achievements translate into tangible benefits for local commercial districts and small business owners.

In particular, through the exclusive tourist pass for foreigners, the “Visit Busan Pass,” the organization extended the average length of stay for tourists (from 2.2 days in 2021 to 4.8 days in 2025) and achieved a milestone of surpassing 1 million cumulative sales as of July 2026. Consequently, the total settlement amount recirculated to local businesses and commercial districts reached 62.7 billion won as of July, earning praise for establishing a virtuous cycle where tourism consumption directly drives the local economy.

Furthermore, to foster balanced development in traditionally underserved tourism areas such as Western Busan and the downtown area, the BTO promoted local commercial revitalization by operating the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ open contest project, the “Centennial Market (Gupo Market) Promotion Project,” as well as the West Busan City Tour themed routes and the Nakdonggang River Ecological Exploration Ship. In addition, it developed and operated “Southern Region Ultra-Megacity Tourism Products” in conjunction with neighboring local governments like Gyeongsangnam-do and Gyeongju, proactively responding to the concentration of resources in the metropolitan area and building a regional tourism coexistence model for the local era.

In addition to these achievements, the organization actively promoted “marine inclusive tourism” leveraging Busan's characteristics as a maritime city—such as operating the Songdo Beach “Modi Inclusive Tourism Beach Wheelchair Experience Program”—thereby significantly expanding maritime tourism accessibility for vulnerable tourists. It also took the lead in enhancing public welfare by opening its owned tourism facilities, providing fee reduction benefits worth about 1 billion won to 310,000 people annually.

Lee Jeong-sil, President of the Busan Tourism Organization, stated, “This Minister of the Interior and Safety Award is the fruit of wholehearted cooperation among our executives and staff, the local tourism industry, and related organizations to ensure that tourism achievements create positive ripple effects across every corner of the region.” He added, “Moving forward, we will strengthen shared growth with local small business owners and tourism enterprises, and do our utmost to establish an inclusive tourism ecosystem enjoyed together by all citizens and tourists.”

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