Busan's Haeundae named South Korea's first 'global tourism special zone'

Haeundae's tourism special zone has been designated South Korea's first global tourism special zone.

Busan city announced Friday that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism selected Haeundae as the first site nationwide under its Global Tourism Special Zone Development Project, a national policy initiative. The designated area covers 6.2 square kilometers, stretching from Haeundae and Songjeong beaches through Gunamno, the Busan Cinema Center, Nurimaru APEC House, Bexco and Haeundae Dalmaji Hill, and will be developed into a world-class, extended-stay tourism hub.

The city submitted a project plan to the ministry incorporating signature tourism content and smart technology, developed through expert consultations and public input. The ministry then selected Haeundae through a review by a panel of expert evaluators. The designation comes 32 years after Haeundae was named South Korea's first tourism special zone in 1994.

A total of 6 billion won will be invested in the Haeundae Global Tourism Special Zone over two years, including 3 billion won ($2.08 million) in national government funding. The entire budget will go toward expanding signature content and improving services, not toward building new facilities.

Under the theme "ALL-TIME HAEUNDAE — A Global Tourism Special Zone Where Day and Night, Work and Leisure Coexist," the zone will offer year-round tourism content through four programs: annual recruitment of global intellectual property events, monthly themed programs along Dalmaji-gil, a weekly night festival and daily tourism programs.

An AI-powered 24-hour unmanned tourist information center and a smart payment system for foreign visitors will allow international tourists to enjoy Haeundae without language barriers. Intelligent CCTV cameras will also be deployed to analyze crowd density and maintain a safe tourism environment.

To address the sharp rise in accommodation prices that drew complaints during mega-events such as the recent BTS world tour, the city plans to sign a cooperative agreement with the hotel association within the special zone. Alongside this, a customized late checkout system will be introduced to encourage longer stays.

Meanwhile, Busan now has three designated tourism special zones in operation following the addition of the Busan Dong-gu Cruise Tourism Special Zone on July 8. The city said it will support each zone in making full use of its tourism resources and will focus its efforts on attracting foreign visitors and promoting extended-stay tourism.

"Haeundae's selection as the country's first global tourism special zone reflects the tourism infrastructure and brand competitiveness it has built up over more than 30 years," Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said. "We will leverage Busan's unique tourism identity and differentiated appeal to transform it into a world-class destination where people from around the globe come to enjoy and stay — and we will accelerate the arrival of an era welcoming 6 million foreign tourists."