Busan's Haeundae District and Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province have been selected for the government's first-ever "Global Tourism Special Zone Development Project," an open competition aimed at fostering stay-oriented tourism hubs centered on foreign visitors.
Busan plans to focus on content and service innovation rather than infrastructure expansion, while North Gyeongsang Province aims to develop Gyeongju into a global tourism city that ushers in an era of 3 million foreign visitors.
According to the relevant local governments on the 2nd, Busan and North Gyeongsang were selected as the first global tourism special zones, overcoming fierce competition in a presentation review that included five metropolitan and provincial governments that had passed the document evaluation.
The selected regions will pursue various projects, including tourism branding, global tourism content development, expansion of tourism convenience and service infrastructure, and establishment of governance. To this end, a total of 6 billion won each, including 3 billion won in state funds over two years, will be invested.
Gyeongju received high marks for its global tourism strategy, which links the historical and cultural heritage of the thousand-year Silla dynasty, World Heritage sites, international conference infrastructure, nighttime tourism, and Hallyu cultural content.
North Gyeongsang Province plans to use the special zone designation as an opportunity to increase foreign tourists' length of stay and expand their spending, driving the tourism industry toward higher value. Through this, the province aims to develop Gyeongju into a leading tourism city that opens an era of 3 million foreign visitors.
Foreign tourists visiting Gyeongju numbered 1.57 million in 2024 and 1.97 million last year, when the APEC summit was held, and the city has shown steady growth, with 1.13 million visitors in the first half of this year alone.
"We will carry out the detailed projects without a hitch to create a tourism special zone that attracts people from around the world and to inject real vitality into the local economy," North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo said.
The target area for Busan's global tourism special zone includes Haeundae and Songjeong beaches, Gunam-ro, the Busan Cinema Center, Nurimaru APEC House, BEXCO, and Dalmaji Hill.
Busan plans to operate year-round tourism content under the theme "All-Time Haeundae, a Global Tourism Special Zone Where Day and Night, Work and Leisure Coexist."
The city also plans to unveil content utilizing global intellectual property (IP) each year and to run permanent programs such as a monthly program on Dalmaji-gil and weekend nighttime festivals to address the seasonal off-season.
Busan will also work to improve tourism convenience. It plans to introduce a 24-hour unmanned tourism information center based on artificial intelligence (AI) and a smart payment system for foreigners to lower language and payment barriers.
"Haeundae, which was the nation's first tourism special zone, being selected as the first global tourism special zone is an achievement that once again recognizes Busan as Korea's representative tourism city," Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said.
