Busan Metro partners with global online travel agencies to sell tickets to foreign tourists

Busan Transportation Corporation announced Wednesday that it will begin selling Busan Metro tickets through partnerships with global online travel agencies (OTAs).

The corporation launched an exclusive ticket product on the global travel platform KKday, marking the start of its effort to use travel platforms to make the Busan Metro more accessible to foreign tourists.

Foreign tourists can now research transportation options and purchase tickets in advance through familiar travel platforms while planning their trip to Busan, reducing the hassle of buying transit cards or tickets on arrival and easing the burden of navigating unfamiliar payment systems and languages.

The corporation also plans to release bundled products with KKday combining tickets with information on major Busan tourist attractions, allowing visitors to arrange sightseeing and transportation in one place. Similar standalone and bundled products will follow on Trip.com on a rolling basis. The corporation said it plans to continue expanding ticket purchase channels through additional OTA partnerships.

Meanwhile, the corporation officially launched mobile ticketing services linked to Alipay+ and UnionPay on Sept. 4, adding to its existing WeChat Pay integration. Tourists who do not use travel platforms can purchase tickets through the mobile payment apps they already use once they arrive in Busan.

Alipay+ service will initially be available to users of Alipay (China), AlipayHK (Hong Kong), Dana (Indonesia) and Hipay (Mongolia), with a phased expansion planned to include GCash (Philippines), Touch 'n Go (Malaysia) and TrueMoney (Thailand). UnionPay service will be available to users of the Yun Shan Fu app in China, Hong Kong and Macao.

Users can purchase tickets through a mini-program within their mobile payment app. At ticket vending machines inside Metro stations, selecting a foreign-language menu and scanning the app-specific QR code will direct users to the purchase screen.

Busan Transportation Corporation President Lee Byung-jin said the partnerships with global travel platforms and the expansion of mobile payment services have made it easier and more convenient for foreign tourists to use the Busan Metro. "We will continue working with global platforms to expand services that connect tourism and transportation, and to improve the travel experience for foreign visitors to Busan," he said.