Busan enlists foreign residents to welcome global travelers at its busiest transit hub
Foreign residents and international students join the launch ceremony for Visit Busan Mate, a new mobile tourist guide service, Tuesday. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan Government
Pilot program deploys 14 bilingual guides at Busan Station
In the busy concourses of Busan Station, navigating transport routes and foreign signage can feel overwhelming for international travelers arriving in Korea’s premier coastal destination.
To bridge that linguistic and cultural divide, local authorities are turning to an underutilized local asset: the city’s vibrant community of international students and foreign residents.
Busan is placing these residents on the front line of its hospitality efforts, recruiting 14 volunteers from 10 countries to serve as mobile tourism guides inside the station. The city formally kicked off the initiative Tuesday with a launch ceremony at the Busan Global City Foundation for Visit Busan Mate, a pilot program aimed at making navigating local attractions, transit and amenities far more seamless for incoming tourists.
The city can draw on a rapidly expanding demographic: while Busan’s total population has gradually declined over the past decade, its registered foreign residents have nearly doubled to exceed 80,000, driven by a surge in international students — now over 24,000 strong — and foreign workers turning the coastal metropolis into an increasingly multicultural hub.
Rather than waiting behind traditional, fixed information counters, these mobile ambassadors will proactively roam the station — the city's primary high-speed rail gateway — to offer approachable, real-time assistance. Drawing on their native languages, cultural backgrounds and firsthand experiences living in Busan, the volunteers will help resolve unexpected travel hurdles and offer insider tips on exploring the region.
The pilot program will run through Nov. 30, with participants volunteering twice a week for two- to three-hour shifts. Schedules remain flexible to accommodate student coursework, with shifts strategically planned around weekends and periods of peak tourist demand.
Beyond easing the journey for visitors, the project gives foreign residents an active role in civic life, allowing them to leverage their unique skills to support the local tourism industry.
To build public engagement, the city is conducting an online survey through Oct. 11 on its official tourism website to select a friendly nickname for the new service.
"I am deeply grateful to all of you from diverse countries and cultural backgrounds who love Busan and are generously giving your time and effort to welcome our visitors," said Na Yoon-bin, head of Busan’s Tourism Content Industry Bureau. "We hope each Visit Busan Mate becomes a friend connecting Busan to the world and a welcoming face sharing the city's warm hospitality."
Busan plans to evaluate tourist satisfaction, field feedback and overall performance throughout the two-month trial period before deciding whether to expand the initiative into a permanent, year-round program next year.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.