Voicing his opinion about the statement that the Republic of Korea (RoK) is the largest international tourist market in Vietnam, Lee Jong Sil said that Korean people have a special love for Vietnam and want to know more about the country. In addition, he hoped that there will be more and more Vietnamese tourists coming to the RoK in general and Busan in particular.
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Busan Tourism Promotion Department’s Director Lee Jong Sil |
Over the past time, the number of Korean people to Vietnam and Vietnamese people to Busan has increased impressively. According to statistics from January to June 2023, Busan welcomed 190,000 tourists from Vietnam, ranking fourth in the number of tourists to Busan and second after Thailand among Southeast Asian countries. Vietnam is an important market for the Korean city. Thereby, it is necessary to strengthen tourism exchange between Busan and Vietnam’s localities.
According to Lee Jong Sil, Busan is the largest port city in the RoK, which is famous for its diverse marine tourism, and cultural, cinematic, and culinary products. In Busan, there are nine beaches, 10 mountains, and two large rivers. The city also has places recognized as world cultural heritage by UNESCO, cinema museums, famous restaurants, and others. Several famous tourist attractions in Busan are Gamcheon Cultural Village, Haeundae Beach, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, Busan Tower, Busan Cinema Center, to name but a few.
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Busan - a beautiful city in the RoK |
Busan attracts a large number of tourists via MICE tourism - a type of tourism combining business activities such as meetings and conferences, etc. with travel. Mr. Lee Jong Sil shared that every year, the city hosts the Busan International Film Festival in October. It is seen as one of the most profound cultural events in Asia. Additionally, the city organizes a series of programs, music events, and festivals, among others.
Attentively, Busan is in the running to host the World Expo 2030 themed “Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future.” The event will be an occasion for Busan to realize its expectation of creating an economic Olympics and a cultural Olympics for the world.
Still, he shared that there are currently many direct flights from Busan to Vietnam. Hence, the increase in flights connecting Vietnam and the RoK, especially big cities of the two countries, including Busan, will create favorable conditions for people of the two countries to exchange culture and explore the beauty of the two nations.
Translated by Quynh Oanh