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SINGAPORE, Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Digital travel platform Agoda and Busan Metropolitan City are marking the one-year anniversary of their strategic partnership, which has helped attract first-time international visitors to Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city. The milestone comes as South Korea sharpens its national focus on regional tourism, with the administration describing tourism as a "core national strategic industry" and setting a target of 30 million foreign visitors annually by 2029[1]. Busan has emerged as an example of this shift, welcoming approximately 3.43 million international visitors through August 2026 and outlining strategic priorities centered on longer stays, higher visitor spending, and building a more sustainable tourism ecosystem.
The partnership milestone comes as Busan hosts the 2nd Global City Tourism Summit from 26 to 28 October, where Jay Lee, Senior Director, North Asia at Agoda, is delivering the keynote address on the first day. Jointly hosted and organized by Busan Metropolitan City, the Tourism Promotion Organization for Global Cities (TPO), and the Busan Tourism Organization (BTO), with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and UN Tourism, the summit brings together cities and tourism industry representatives from around the world to explore cooperation on local tourism and sustainable urban tourism development.
Agoda and Busan’s partnership, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in October 2025, positioned Agoda as a technology and data partner for the city’s inbound tourism goals. Over the campaign period from April to August 2026, Agoda recorded a 77% increase in searches compared to the 140 days prior to the campaign launch. The partnership’s strongest differentiator has been its ability to generate incremental demand. Agoda insights reveal that 40% of travelers who booked Busan through the campaign were first-time visitors to South Korea, while another 28% were repeat visitors but were discovering Busan for the first time. Taiwan, Japan, and China ranked as the top three source markets.
The collaboration also made Busan the first-ever partner on Agoda’s Flagship program, a dedicated destination-marketing solution that combines the platform’s global reach with a city’s local tourism assets into an integrated, always-on campaign. Both Busan City and local hotel partners have responded positively to the model, reinforcing its potential as a repeatable blueprint for future city partnerships across the region.
Jay Lee, Senior Director, North Asia at Agoda shared, "A year into this partnership, we’re seeing more travelers discover Busan, a growing share of them visiting for the first time, and strong momentum behind Busan’s own Agoda Flagship Store. What excites us is that this shows what happens when a city’s tourism strategy and a digital platform’s capabilities are pointed in the same direction. Our priorities now turn to keeping visitors in the city longer, growing in-destination spending, and expanding what travelers can discover across Busan’s districts. As South Korea sharpens its focus on regional tourism, we’re excited to take this model further, in Busan and beyond."
Jeon Jae-soo, Mayor, Busan City Government said, "Busan’s vision is to become Asia’s No. 1 Marine and Culture City — a destination defined by its coastline, culture, and openness to the world. We are working to balance growth across our eastern and western districts, build high-value tourism industries, and ensure this growth is sustainable and benefits our local communities. As we work toward this vision, we need to move from volume-driven to value-driven growth — welcoming visitors who stay longer and explore more. Our partnership with Agoda has helped bring this vision to more travelers around the world."
Travelers can explore Busan’s accommodation and activity options at https://www.agoda.com/visitbusan.
