Busan City Expands 'Visit Busan Pass' Program

Busan City and Busan Tourism Organization Successfully Operate VisitBusan Pass for Foreign Tourists

As of March 2024, Foreign Tourist Visits Recover to 99.8% of Pre-COVID Levels

Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) and the Busan Tourism Organization (President Lee Jeongshil) announced that the foreigner-exclusive tourism pass, the 'Visit Busan Pass,' has surpassed 130,000 units sold within just one year, playing a significant role in revitalizing the tourism market that had stagnated after COVID-19.

VisitBusanPass.

The 'Visit Busan Pass' is a tourism pass that allows easy access to major tourist attractions in Busan and is linked with a transportation card function, providing convenience for foreign tourists traveling in Busan. After a pilot operation (time-limited version) from February to July last year, it has been officially operated since September 2023 (with an additional quantity-limited version).

The actual sales period for the Visit Busan Pass, from the pilot operation to the end of April this year, is one year, during which a total of 138,361 passes were sold.

Compared to tourism passes operated in other domestic and international cities, the Visit Busan Pass stands out for its transportation card function, inclusion of high-value attractions, excellent cost-effectiveness, and convenience through mobile app integration. It has achieved a global online travel agency (OTA) rating of 4.8 and a 96% positive user review rate, receiving enthusiastic responses from foreign tourists.

Additionally, it has had a remarkable promotional effect on the local tourism industry. For example, at the Songdo Marine Cable Car, foreign visitors accounted for 23.2% of all visitors by April this year, a 139.5% increase compared to the same period in 2019 before COVID-19. Notably, 33% of visiting foreigners were Visit Busan Pass users, significantly contributing to attracting visitors to the Songdo Marine Cable Car.

The number of foreign visitors to Busan was 233,000 in March 2019 before COVID-19, and 232,000 in March this year, showing a 99.8% recovery rate. The city plans to further accelerate efforts to attract foreign tourists by expanding the operation of the Visit Busan Pass.

First, the target will be expanded from primarily individual tourists (FIT, Free Independent Traveler) to group tourists, with new product development and sales initiatives.

Plans are underway to develop and sell products that link the pass with group tour packages through major Japanese travel agencies. The BIG3 and BIG5 passes will also be used for Busan medical tourism promotion, medical tourism overseas buyer familiarization tours (fam tours), and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) group tours.

Discussions are also ongoing with major Chinese travel agencies to develop airline ticket and hotel packages linked with the pass.

The city also plans to diversify online and offline sales channels to meet various consumer needs.

By collaborating with private unmanned kiosks, the city aims to improve tourist convenience by enabling currency exchange, tax refunds, and 24-hour Visit Busan Pass purchases. This will first be implemented in areas with high concentrations of foreign tourists, such as Busan Station and Nampo-dong, and will gradually be expanded.

To make Busan tourism even more accessible, the system will be integrated so that foreign tourists can purchase and use the Visit Busan Pass mobile pass within the Dongbaekjeon Busan Pay app, which is exclusively for foreigners. Through this, Dongbaekjeon affiliate stores will benefit from increased sales by attracting foreign tourists, and foreign tourists will receive cashback benefits when using affiliate stores in addition to accessing major attractions.

As a global promotional marketing platform for the local tourism industry, the city will strengthen Visit Busan Pass marketing targeting major countries.

Collaboration with airlines, shipping companies, and travel agencies will be enhanced to promote various marketing campaigns aimed at attracting tourists.

Additionally, global promotional activities will be intensified through worldwide OTAs such as Trip.com, Kkday, KLOOK, and Rakuten Travel, focusing on promoting local tourism businesses participating as affiliates and establishing the Visit Busan Pass as a global marketing platform.

To further vitalize local tourism, the number of Visit Busan Pass affiliate stores will be significantly increased.

Starting June 1, new partners such as surfing lessons, yacht tours, and hanbok rental shops will be added to the existing 36 free-entry affiliates, and the number of special discount affiliates will increase from 110 to around 160.

In particular, F&B establishments including Michelin Guide restaurants and Olive Young will join as affiliates, offering various benefits such as discounts.

The city plans to expand the number of Visit Busan Pass affiliates through biannual recruitment and selection, continuously discovering new tourist attractions and trendy affiliates to increase foreign interest, boost pass sales, and contribute to the revitalization of the local tourism industry.

Park Geunrok, Director of the Tourism and MICE Bureau, stated, "The Visit Busan Pass has become an essential item for foreign tourists visiting Busan and is establishing itself as a global marketing platform for the local tourism industry. We will continue to expand the Visit Busan Pass to meet diverse demands, strengthen the brand of Busan as a global tourism city, and invigorate the local tourism industry by attracting more foreign tourists."