![Sea fog stretches along the coastline at Haeundae Beach in Busan on Tuesday, the traditional solar term marking the start of the hottest season. Residents and tourists take in the unusual seaside scenery under overcast skies. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/07/08/rcv.YNA.20260707.PYH2026070712230005100_P1.jpg)
About 2 million foreign tourists visited Busan through May this year, a 40% jump from the same period last year.
Busan city officials said Wednesday that foreign visitors to the city from January through May totaled 1,933,572 — up 40% from 1,383,758 during the same period last year. That growth rate is roughly double the national average of 21%.
By country and region, Taiwan led with 375,322 visitors, followed by China with 359,981, Japan with 233,685 and the United States with 170,587.
Total spending by foreign tourists in Busan over the period reached 454.4 billion won ($298 million), with May alone accounting for 132.2 billion won. The figures come from a credit card big data analysis by the Korea Tourism Organization. Busan ranked second nationally for three consecutive months, trailing only Seoul.
The city earlier became the first in the country to operate a 24-hour terminal for overnight cruise passengers on one-night, two-day itineraries, and has run port-of-call programs tied to local festivals as well as support for home-port cruise products linked to air and rail connections. In the second half of this year, Busan plans to introduce amphibious tour buses and maritime tourism taxis.
jshan@heraldcorp.com
