Busan City Selected for Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 'Wellness and Medical Tourism Convergence Cluster Project' Competition

Selected for 'Southern Region Wellness Medical Tourism Hub Development' Contest

Top Scores in International Tourism City Infrastructure and Medical Specialty Area

Busan City has been finally selected for the ‘Wellness and Medical Tourism Convergence Cluster Development’ public contest project hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, receiving 1.5 billion KRW in national funding over three years (500 million KRW annually).

Busan City Hall.

With the post-COVID-19 era underway, the medical tourism attraction market is recovering, leading to increased competition among countries as well as rapid growth in wellness tourism. Wellness tourism is expected to continue growing as global interest in health and relaxation has risen since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, the city applied for the ‘Wellness and Medical Tourism Convergence Cluster Development’ project and, after passing the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s first evaluation (project proposal) and second evaluation (local government presentation), received the highest scores in four evaluation areas: ▲regional tourism attractiveness ▲feasibility and sustainability of the operation plan ▲cooperation system and commitment to promotion ▲advancement of wellness medical convergence tourism products, leading to final selection.

The six local governments finally selected are categorized as medical tourism-centered types (Busan, Daegu·Gyeongbuk, Incheon) and wellness tourism-centered types (Gangwon, Jeonbuk, Chungbuk).

In particular, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism evaluated that if Busan’s unique international tourism city infrastructure, blessed with pristine natural environments, is combined with excellent medical technology and linked to Busan’s major international projects, it will create outstanding socio-economic added value such as job creation through attracting foreign medical tourists and enhancing the city brand value.

Busan City’s major ongoing projects include bidding for the 2030 World Expo, the opening of Gadeok New Airport, and its designation as an international tourism city.

With this contest project selection, the city plans to receive approximately 1.5 billion KRW in project funds over the next three years to establish a wellness medical tourism ecosystem and aims to attract 130,000 overseas medical tourists by 2025.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, “This selection proves the excellence of Busan’s wellness medical tourism project plan,” adding, “Through this project, we will maximize Busan’s unique marine, leisure, and healing city characteristics and accelerate the establishment of a stay-type medical tourism cluster foundation to leap forward as a ‘Wellness Medical Tourism Hub City.’”

Earlier this year, the city secured 300 million KRW in national funding by being selected for the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s ‘Regional Specialized Foreign Patient Attraction Foundation’ contest project, and last year, it became the only local government to receive the Prime Minister’s institutional commendation at the Global Healthcare Awards, establishing itself as a medical tourism hub city.