The number of foreign tourists visiting Busan hit its highest level ever in 2009 on the back of aggressive marketing, world-renowned festivals and an increase in cruise ships sailing into port.
The city attracted 2,026,070 foreign tourists last year, exceeding the 2 million mark for just the second time since 2002.
The number represents an 11.5 percent spike - or an
increase of
208,947 tourists - from the previous year.
In 2002, the previous record, 2,000,439 tourists visited, lured in part by the Asian Games and the Korea Japan World Cup, which rank as some of the top international events ever held in the city. Last year¡¯s achievement, on the other hand, was tied in large part to a systematic tourism
promotion effort, among other reasons. The city expects to continue attracting more than 2 million foreign visitors on an annual basis from here on out, setting its sights on 2.2 million this year.
A portion of last year¡¯s spike was fueled by a 17.7
percent uptick in the number of Japanese |
|
tourists, who had shied away the previous year because of a weak yen. Visitors from China jumped 7.9 percent, while those from Hong Kong and Taiwan rose 6 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively. Busan also lured a significant number of visitors from Europe, with the number of tourists from England rising 24.3 percent and from Germany increasing 21.4 percent. Tourism programs linked to the Busan Fireworks Festival and the Pusan International Film Festival as well as enhanced cruise ship programs also
contributed.
The outlook for this year is bright, and Busan officials are confident they can hit their 2.2 million target.
Cruise ships - including the massive, 50,000 ton behemoths - are scheduled to visit the city¡¯s ports 78 times this year, bringing an estimated 150,000 visitors to Busan.
The city plans to actively target this area of the tourism industry and tie it to local programs and events. |
