The Busan Tourism Organization (hereinafter referred to as the Organization) announced that CEO Lee Jeong-sil was selected as the Best Leader in the K-Tourism Brand category at the "3rd 2026 Korea Economic Best Leader" awards ceremony (hosted by Hankyung Media Group) held at the Dasan Hall of the Korea Economic Daily Building in Seoul on the 2nd.

This award is a recognition of the Organization's achievements in actively implementing foreign tourist attraction marketing to propel Busan into a world-class global tourism city and leading the creation of a symbiotic ecosystem with the local tourism industry.

Following the achievement of a record 3.64 million foreign tourists in 2025—the highest since the port's opening—the Organization attracted approximately 3.43 million foreign tourists as of August 2026, continuing a steep growth trajectory of 45.9% compared to the same period last year. Consequently, Busan's market share among all foreign tourists nationwide rose to 22.8%, raising expectations for opening an era of 4 million foreign tourists this year.

Thanks to these efforts, Busan has significantly enhanced the awareness and favorability of its tourism brand in the global travel market, ranking as the "No. 1 Asian tourism city for Chinese visitors" in the Yanolja Research survey, "No. 1 cost-effective travel destination for Japan's Golden Week" on Expedia, and "No. 1 short-term quick getaway destination for Taiwanese travelers" on KKday as of 2026.

In addition, by operating the Busan night tourism brand "Starry Busan," the Organization achieved an attraction record of 270,000 visitors across 13 programs in 2025, recording an explosive growth of 626% in three years. Furthermore, the foreign-exclusive tourist pass "Visit Busan Pass," which recorded approximately 1.03 million passes sold cumulatively from 2023 to July 2026, generated 58.7 billion won settled to local businesses in the first half of the year alone, creating a significant impact on local stay duration and consumption.

Busan Tourism Organization CEO Lee Jeong-sil expressed his thoughts, stating, "This award is a meaningful achievement accomplished with one heart by Busan citizens who always support the development of Busan tourism, as well as the Organization's executives and staff, the local tourism industry, related organizations, and academia. Moving forward, we will focus on the qualitative growth of tourism that practically contributes to the local economy by extending tourists' stay time and promoting consumption, thereby building Busan into a global tourism city sought after by people worldwide."

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