From "Dwaeji Gukbap Bread" to Yacht Tours... Busan Seeks Startup Teams to Grow Tourism Products

by Kim Yongu

Published 16 Oct.2026 10:08(KST)

Busan City, Busan Tourism Organization Recruit for Second Cohort of "K-Content Tourism Marketing Academy"

From Ttukbaegi Ppang, inspired by dwaeji gukbap, to tourism souvenirs made using used books and yacht tours, Busan is seeking people who want to add new content to local assets and turn them into tourism products.

Busan City, led by Mayor Jeon Jae-su, announced on October 16 that it is recruiting participants for the second cohort of the “K-Content Tourism Marketing Academy” through October 26, in partnership with the Busan Tourism Organization. The program, being carried out as a specialized project under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s “Southern Region Comprehensive Tourism Development Plan,” focuses on identifying ideas that combine K-content with Busan’s tourism assets and supporting them through on-site validation and commercialization.

The second cohort has been redesigned to go beyond developing ideas and directly test whether they can succeed in the market. It introduces an “evidence-based fast track” that combines the previous advanced and refinement stages, validating products on-site and supporting their entry into the market.

The basic course is aimed at prospective entrepreneurs, university students and others. Participants will develop tourism ideas in six fields—marine tourism, food, wellness, beauty, esports and K-culture—and take part in mentoring, a Demo Day to present their results, preparation of investor-relations pitch decks and hackathons. The top team will receive a prize of up to 2 million won and the opportunity to join the combined advanced and refinement course.

The combined advanced and refinement course, for companies headquartered in Busan, supports the development of new tourism content in four fields: marine tourism, food, beauty and wellness. Selected companies will receive up to 19 million won each in funding for pilot projects. On-site testing, expert coaching and investment connections will also help them commercialize their projects.

The redesign for the second cohort builds on commercialization cases from the first. In that cohort, 26 teams applied for the basic course and 54 companies applied for the advanced course; 11 teams and 11 companies were ultimately selected. Of these, six companies showcased their products and services directly at tourism sites.

Efforts to turn local characteristics into tourism products are also underway. P.ARK, a distinctive local attraction, developed “Sagol Ttukbaegi Ppang,” inspired by dwaeji gukbap, as a tourism souvenir and launched it as a packaged product. Food and beverage content company Food Travel operated “Now Our Living,” a flagship store showcasing Busan’s food brands.

Tourism content company The Hue Lab developed and sold “ReBusan,” a souvenir made using used books, while marine tourism company Yacht Tallae launched an adventure boat tour. Esports team FearX operated a pop-up store inviting audience participation, and beauty content company LiveX organized international exchange programs, including a Korea-Japan haircut battle in Nagoya, Japan.

Na Yun-bin, Director General of the Busan City Tourism Content Industry Bureau, said, “In the first cohort, we saw ideas take shape as actual tourism products and saw their business potential validated.”

Na said the second cohort would use the evidence-based fast track to help companies quickly gauge market responses and improve their products.