Busan travel bookings surge, outpacing Seoul by 2.8 times: Klook

Foreign tourists' bookings for Busan travel products have surged 118 percent year-on-year this year, outpacing Seoul's growth rate by roughly 2.8 times.

According to Klook, a global platform for accommodation, transportation and activity bookings, reservations for its Busan travel products rose 118 percent year-on-year from Jan. 1 through Oct. 25 this year. Seoul's booking growth rate over the same period was 41.5 percent, meaning Busan recorded a rate approximately 2.8 times higher.

Klook, which signed an MOU with the Busan Tourism Organization in July 2023 and has since maintained a partnership to boost tourism, collaborated with the Busan Festival Committee to handle overseas promotion and ticket sales for three signature festivals — the Busan International Rock Festival, the Busan Fireworks Festival and the Seven Bridges Tour — drawing buyers from a total of 22 countries and regions.

The Busan International Rock Festival, held from Oct. 2 to 4, sold the most tickets in the Chinese-speaking market, with the United States coming in second. Demand was broad, spanning travelers from Europe, Japan and other parts of the world, as well as foreign residents living in South Korea.

The Busan Fireworks Festival, set for Saturday, drew strong interest from the Chinese-speaking market, with Southeast Asia and the Middle East also showing notable attention. Ticket purchases were highest from the Chinese-speaking market, followed by Southeast Asia and then Western countries. That buyers came even from the Middle East suggests the festival's nature as a visual, spectator event with a low language barrier resonated with tourists from a wide range of regions.

As an official partner of Korea Railroad Corporation and the National Intercity Bus Operators Association, Klook operates a real-time seat availability and booking service. Combined reservations for trains and express buses to Busan from Sept. 1 through Oct. 25 this year rose approximately 445 percent year-on-year. For the Seven Bridges Tour held Sept. 20, Klook linked the event page to its express bus booking page to make travel more convenient for participants.

"Local festivals are an important tourism asset that showcase a city's character and give foreign tourists a reason to visit," said Lee Jun-ho, Klook's Korea country manager. "Klook will strengthen cooperation with local governments and the tourism industry to turn outstanding regional tourism content into actual visits by overseas travelers, and contribute to revitalizing regional tourism as a global platform."