Busan booms with viral tourist hotspots as visitors look beyond Seoul

Korea is seeing a boom in tourism, with more than 5.5 million tourists visiting the country from January to April this year, surpassing the previous record set in 2019.

Haeundae Beach Train and Sky Capsule at Blueline Park in Busan are popular tourist attractions among foreign tourists. Even on weekdays, there is a long waiting line to get on the Sky Capsule. [BAEK JONG-HYUN]

Korea is seeing a boom in tourism, with more than 5.5 million tourists visiting the country from January to April this year, surpassing the previous record set in 2019.

It’s no longer just Seoul though, as Busan is now enjoying unprecedented levels of international tourism.

Last year, the southern port city welcomed 2.93 million foreign tourists — the highest figure since 2016, which saw a record 2.96 million visitors.

Attractions like the Haeundae Beach Train and Skyline Luge Busan have transformed into global hotspots. Here is a look at some of the most sought-after tourist sites.

Haeundae Blueline Park

The railway crossing in front of Cheongsapo Station has become a trendy new photo spot. Foreign tourists, like a mother and daughter pair from Taiwan, were seen snapping photos with the iconic Haeundae Sky Capsule and Cheongsapo Twin Lighthouse in the background.

Last year, nearly 1.2 million foreign visitors rode the attractions at Haeundae Blueline Park, a coastal theme park and railway built along the former Donghae Nambu Line between Mipo and Songjeong Station in the Haeundae Special Tourist Zone. The park has two main tourist transportations: the Haeundae Beach Train that runs back and forth between Mipo and Songjeong stations, and the Sky Capsule aerial rail which runs on tracks 7 to 10 meters (23 to 33 feet) above ground.

When visiting Mipo Station on a weekday afternoon on May 21, lines for the Sky Capsule stretched over 100 meters — and more than 90 percent of those waiting were foreign tourists. The slow-moving capsules offer scenic views of the Haeundae coastline, and the private compartments have become a social media sensation, particularly among younger travelers.

On Instagram, hashtags like #skycapsule and #bluelinepark have appeared in over 10,000 posts.

“I saw the Sky Capsule on social media many times,” said Niki, a tourist in her 20s from Hong Kong. “I came to Busan just for that perfect photo.”

The railway crossing in front of Cheongsapo Station is another hotspot, where foreign tourists gather every 15 to 30 minutes to capture a train passing with the ocean in the backdrop.

The area has transformed significantly thanks to the park.

Once lined mainly with grilled shellfish restaurants, Cheongsapo is now filled with stylish cafes, souvenir shops and trendy restaurants.

“Most of our weekday customers are foreigners,” Choi Won-ho, owner of local cafe Ocean Breeze, said. “Some days, I speak only English from open to close.”

A Taiwanese mother and daughter pair take a photo with the Sky Capsule and Cheongsapo twin lighthouses in the background in Busan. [BAEK JONG-HYUN]

Record Taiwanese tourists

Another major contributor to Busan’s tourism boom is the soaring number of Taiwanese visitors.

In 2023, 504,560 Taiwanese travelers came to Busan — up 94.7 percent from the year before — outpacing both Japan, with 455,572, and China, with 418,523, to become the top place of origin.

The explosive increase in Taiwanese tourists is seen as reflecting the surge in flights as interest in K-tourism has increased since the pandemic.

Currently, there are about 140 direct flights per week between Busan and Taiwan, which is about 30 more than before the pandemic.

The launch of the Visit Busan Pass, a prepaid card exclusive to foreign tourists, has also fueled the city's popularity. The pass, launched in February 2023, includes access to major attractions, discounts and public transport. More than 310,000 passes have been sold so far, with 73 percent bought by Taiwanese tourists. The 24-hour pass sells for 55,000 won ($40.50), making it a highly cost-effective option for foreign visitors.

Tourists like to take photos from the Sky Capsule, overlooking the sea in Busan. [BAEK JONG-HYUN]

New hotspots over traditional destinations

While Busan’s traditional sites — such as Haeundae Beach, Taejongdae Park, Gamcheon Culture Village, Jagalchi Market and Gukje Market — remain popular, foreign tourists are increasingly drawn to newly developed attractions included in the Visit Busan Pass.

These include Blueline Park, high-rise observatory Busan X the Sky, Skyline Luge and Lotte World Adventure Busan.

Haeundae's Busan X the Sky is the highest observatory in Busan, located on floors 98 to 100 of the 411-meter LCT Tower. It opened in 2020 and welcomed some 250,000 foreign visitors last year alone. The biggest draw is the Starbucks on the 99th floor, marketed as the highest Starbucks in the world.

Visitors often pose with drinks at the window, and Korean-exclusive items like the Jeju Matcha Latte and Grapefruit Honey Black Tea are particularly popular, according to Starbucks staff.

Skyline Luge, which opened in Gijang in 2021, has also become a hotspot for foreign tourists — especially those from China. The Songdo Sea Cable Car, which debuted in 2017, carried 400,000 foreign passengers last year.

“I thought Busan was just about beaches and food,” said a Taiwanese tourist visiting Skyline Luge. “But there are so many activities. I rode the luge and cable car today, and I’m planning to go to Lotte World tomorrow.”

BY BAEK JONG-HYUN [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]