Foreign tourists cool off in mist sprayed from a cooling fog system at Gamcheon Culture Village in Saha District, Busan, on July 30.YONHAP
BUSAN — Busan's foreign tourist arrivals grew more than twice as fast as the national average this year, with the city drawing nearly 3 million visitors between January and July as a boom in medical tourism spending helped drive the surge, the municipal government said Saturday.
The city recorded 2,927,674 foreign visitors during the seven-month period, up 46.1 percent from 2,003,466 during the same period last year. That growth rate outpaced the 21.3 percent increase recorded nationwide over the same period, putting Busan on pace to surpass 4 million visitors this year after recording 3.6 million in 2025.
Last year marked the first time Busan's annual foreign tourist count topped 3 million. The number of foreign visitors, which stood at 482,305 in 2022, jumped to 2,929,192 in 2024, then surpassed 3 million in October 2025 and reached 3,643,439 by the end of that year.
By nationality, Taiwan sent the most tourists this year with 605,000, followed by China with 594,000 and Japan with 340,000. Visitors from the United States, which has no direct flights to Busan, also grew sharply, rising 78.4 percent to 259,675 from 145,535 last year.
Overall foreign card spending in Busan totaled 742.3 billion won ($553 million) from January to July, up 50.8 percent from the same period last year. Medical tourism spending, in particular, jumped 118.4 percent on year. It accounted for 37 percent of all medical tourism spending outside Seoul, ranking first nationwide.
Spending patterns by district reflect this shift. Through last year, Haeundae District — home to Haeundae Beach and a cluster of hotels — ranked first in foreign spending, but Busanjin District, to the west, overtook it from January to July this year. Busanjin District includes Seomyeon and Jeonpo-dong, areas popular with younger visitors and home to Lotte Department Store's Busan Main branch. Many dermatology and plastic surgery clinics are there, too, which the city said drove the shift as medical tourism spending concentrated in the area.
Spectators leave Gwangalli Beach in Suyeong District, Busan, under police crowd control after watching the 20th Busan Fireworks Festival on Nov. 15, 2025.NEWS1
Foreign sales at Lotte Department Store's Busan Main branch rose 125 percent from January to May this year compared to the same period last year. From June 1 to 14, when tourist demand peaked, foreign sales jumped 190 percent on year.
"With major events such as the Busan International Film Festival and Festival Shiwol in October, and the Busan Fireworks Festival in November, we expect even more foreign tourists to visit," a Busan city official said. "We are installing Visit Busan Pass kiosks at Gimhae International Airport and Busan Station and working with the city's 16 districts and counties to improve signage at major tourist sites, among other efforts to create a more convenient environment for tourists."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
