Busan’s Haeundae named Korea’s first global tourism zone
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Under the government-backed project, six billion won (S$5.42 million) will be invested through 2027.
PHOTO: KOREA TOURISM ORGANIZATION
- Busan’s Haeundae district is Korea’s first global tourism zone, aiming to attract year-round visitors with a 6 billion won (S$5.42 million) investment through 2027.
- The zone covers 6.2 sq km, including beaches and cultural sites, focusing on tourism content and digital services rather than big construction.
- Plans include AI-powered tourist centres, digital payments, real-time crowd monitoring, and events to boost local economy and sustain tourism post-government funding.
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BUSAN – Busan’s Haeundae district has been selected as South Korea’s first “global tourism zone”, as the city looks to capitalise on a surge in foreign visitors by turning the beach destination into a year-round place to stay, work and travel.
The designation comes as international tourism to Busan continues to rise sharply. More than 2.42 million foreign travellers visited the city in the first half of 2026, up 43.9 per cent from 2025.
Under the government-backed project, six billion won (S$5.42 million) will be invested through 2027, including three billion won in central government funding, Haeundae District said on Aug 17.
The 6.2 sq km zone stretches from Haeundae and Songjeong beaches to Gu-nam-ro, the Busan Cinema Center, Nurimaru APEC House, Bexco and Dalmaji Hill.
Instead of focusing on major construction projects, the district plans to fund tourism content and digital services to give visitors more reasons to stay beyond the peak summer season.
Plans include recurring programmes along Dalmaji-gil, nighttime festivals, daily tourism activities and events featuring globally recognised intellectual property.
Haeundae also plans to roll out services for foreign travellers, including 24-hour artificial intelligence-powered unmanned tourist information centres and a digital payment system designed to reduce language and payment barriers.
AI-enabled surveillance cameras will be used to monitor crowd density in real time.
The district said its broader goal is to build what it calls “Haeundae Tournomics”, a model in which tourism spending supports local businesses and jobs and is reinvested in the local economy.
Haeundae will work with the Busan city government, the Korea Tourism Organization and Bexco to create a tourism ecosystem that can sustain after central government funding ends. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
