Tourism authorities in the South Korean city of Busan report that Taiwanese travellers make up the largest group among foreign visitors.
Throughout the first five months of 2025, around 249,000 Taiwanese tourists visited Busan, making Taiwan the top country of origin among foreign arrivals to South Korea's second-biggest city.
According to the Busan Tourism Organisation, Taiwanese tourists come to the city not only for its cinematic associations, but more for its cuisine.
Indeed, Taiwanese travellers expressed a strong liking for dwaeji gukbap, the city’s iconic pork soup.
In a survey conducted among 15,796 Taiwanese visitors, 66.9 percent ranked the pork soup as their favourite local speciality.
Dwaeji gukbap was followed in the rankings by Busan fish cakes in second place, sesame- or nut-filled hotteok cakes in third, and grilled eel coming into fourth place.
Rising numbers
In another report, The Korea Herald pointed out that Busan’s tourism sector expects Taiwanese visitor numbers to continue climbing in the second half of the year.
This is thanks to the way airlines like Air Busan and Eva Air offered direct flights between Taiwan's capital Taipei and Busan during the Chuseok holiday season; likewise, Jeju Air is adding a new route from Kaohsiung to Busan.
Taiwanese tourists are also helping boost the South Korean tourism sector even while shifting the numbers from Seoul and to other parts of the country.
Unlike many international travelers who enter through Incheon, 24.6 percent of Taiwanese visitors arrived via Gimhae International Airport, near Busan, compared to the overall average of less than ten percent for regional airports.
According to a statement from the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO): “The fact that many Taiwanese visit Korea multiple times a year offers us a great opportunity to promote regional destinations.”
