Where were the most popular spots to visit this summer in Busan?

Tourism numbers in Busan this summer saw a different outcome than normal as the traditional hotspots mostly saw a downward trend in visitors compared to 2019.

Popular places such as Seomyeon, Nampo-dong, and Gamcheon Culture Village saw a significant drop in visitors, while Songdo, Yonggung Temple, and Gijang Healing Forest saw large rises compared to 2019.

The survey, which was down over the first week of August by the city of Busan and the Busan Tourism Organization looked at the tourism demand of major destinations in the city through SKT communication data during what is regarded as high season.

Amman-dong in Songdo saw the largest increase of over 119% of visitors over 2019, while Gijang-gun which has both the Healing Forest and Yonggungsa Temple saw a 50% increase. Busan Citizen’s Park also experienced a 46% increase in visitors.

However, Gamcheon-dong saw a 64.8% decrease in visitors, with Nampo-dong seeing a 37.8% decrease and Seomyeon at 9.1%. Gwangalli and Haeundae Beaches also saw drops of between 5% to 7%.

The largest number of visitors to Busan came from Gyeongnam province, followed by Seoul.

Officials noted that the “untact”, or non-contact places were more popular this summer due to coronavirus measures around the city.