"Shall We Go to Busan Instead of Seoul?"... Busan Surpasses Tokyo as Chinese Voices Grow Louder

Yanolja Research Analysis: Busan Ranks First with a Score of 4.723
Seoul Focuses on Shopping
"Limitations of a Price-Centered Structure"

Busan has been selected as the most satisfying Asian travel destination among Chinese tourists. Seoul ranked fifth.

Following Busan, Singapore (4.710 points), Tokyo, Japan (4.706 points), and Osaka (4.701 points) were ranked. Seoul remained in 5th place with 4.676 points. Getty Images

On May 24, the travel and accommodation platform Yanolja released a report titled "Seoul and Busan Experienced by Chinese Tourists" through Yanolja Research. The study analyzed over 10,000 travel posts on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social networking service (SNS), and more than 18,000 reviews from the Chinese online travel platform Ctrip.

According to the report, the overall satisfaction score of Chinese tourists with Busan was 4.723 out of 5, the highest among the eight cities surveyed.

Busan's strength was identified as "experiential tourism." Marine attractions such as Haeundae, Gwangalli, and Cheongsapo are naturally connected with the Blue Line Beach Train, night views, market food, and seafood delicacies, providing participatory travel experiences rather than simple sightseeing. Local dishes such as pork rice soup and wheat noodles were also evaluated as key elements of the tourism experience.

Busan's strength was identified as "experiential tourism." It was analyzed that marine tourist destinations such as Haeundae, Gwangalli, and Cheongsapo naturally connected attractions like the Blueline Coastal Train, night views, market food, and seafood, providing a participatory travel experience rather than just simple sightseeing.

The overall satisfaction of Chinese tourists with Busan scored 4.723 out of 5, the highest among the eight cities surveyed. Getty Images

Busan also ranked first in the entertainment category. The research team analyzed that the organic combination of natural scenery, food, and convenient travel routes sets Busan apart from other cities.

Following Busan, Singapore (4.710 points), Tokyo, Japan (4.706 points), and Osaka (4.701 points) were listed. Seoul remained in fifth place with 4.676 points. Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok received relatively lower evaluations.

Seoul had the highest proportion of mentions related to shopping, but its evaluation score was relatively low. It was pointed out that the focus on price benefits such as duty-free shops, discounts, and payback promotions stood out, while experiential elements were lacking.

Satisfaction Ranking of Major Asian Cities Among Chinese Tourists. Yanol Research

Yanolja Research diagnosed that "if Seoul tourism remains centered on product purchases, it may lose competitiveness with the expansion of overseas direct purchases and online platforms." The report also suggested that K-beauty and K-pop need to expand into experiential content rather than remain as simple consumption.

In the history and culture sector, Seoul recorded the lowest satisfaction among the cities surveyed. However, Ikseon-dong and Bukchon Hanok Village received high evaluations, indicating the potential to enhance tourism competitiveness by utilizing traditional cultural content.

Yanolja Research emphasized, "The global tourism market is shifting from simply offering attractions to enabling travelers to directly experience and remember their journeys. There is a need to strategically foster tourism courses that connect Seoul and Busan."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.