Busan’s Haeundae named Korea’s first global tourism zone

Busan's Haeundae district has been named South Korea's first global tourism zone, with 6 billion won ($4.3 million) invested through 2027 to boost year-round tourism. The designation follows a surge in foreign visitors, with over 2.42 million travelers in the first half of the year, up 43.9 percent. Plans include AI-powered tourist information centers, digital payments, and AI surveillance cameras to enhance visitor experience and safety.

AI tourist services, year-round attractions planned to encourage longer stays Busan’s Haeundae district has been selected as South Korea’s first “global tourism zone,” as the city looks to capitalize on a surge in foreign visitors by turning the beach destination into a year-round place to stay, work and travel. The designation comes as international tourism to Busan continues to rise sharply. More than 2.42 million foreign travelers visited the city in the first half of this year, up 43.9 percent from a year earlier. Under the government-backed project, 6 billion won $4.3 million will be invested through 2027, including 3 billion won in central government funding, Haeundae District said Monday. The 6.2-square-kilometer zone stretches from Haeundae and Songjeong beaches to Gu-nam-ro, the Busan Cinema Center, Nurimaru APEC House, Bexco and Dalmaji Hill. Instead of focusing on major construction projects, the district plans to fund tourism content and digital services to give visitors more reasons to stay beyond the peak summer season. Plans include recurring programs along Dalmaji-gil, nighttime festivals, daily tourism activities and events featuring globally recognized intellectual property. Haeundae also plans to roll out services for foreign travelers, including 24-hour AI-powered unmanned tourist information centers and a digital payment system designed to reduce language and payment barriers. AI-enabled surveillance cameras will be used to monitor crowd density in real time. The district said its broader goal is to build what it calls “Haeundae Tournomics,” a model in which tourism spending supports local businesses and jobs and is reinvested in the local economy. Haeundae will work with the Busan city government, the Korea Tourism Organization and Bexco to create a tourism ecosystem that can sustain after central government funding ends. hnpark@heraldcorp.com