Tourists visiting a riverside park near the Nakdong River in Busan take photos of cherry blossoms on Thursday. (Yonhap)
Tourists visiting a riverside park near the Nakdong River in Busan take photos of cherry blossoms on Thursday. (Yonhap)

With international visitors increasingly venturing beyond Seoul to more outlying provinces, local governments across South Korea are moving to improve transportation access, aiming to accommodate a seasonal rise in tourism as spring begins.

The efforts go beyond improving convenience within cities, extending to improving connections with other regions and major gateways such as Incheon Airport, the country’s main entry point for overseas travelers.

Through these measures, authorities are seeking to draw attention to lesser-known destinations and encourage longer stays.

Busan allows larger suitcases on city buses

Busan, one of the regions seeing the fastest growth in foreign visitors, on Wednesday launched a pilot program allowing passengers to bring larger suitcases on city buses.

The trial is being conducted on Route No. 85, which connects major tourist areas such as Seomyeon, Busan Station and Yeongdo, where foreign ridership is relatively high.

While buses nationwide typically allow small suitcases of up to 20 inches, the new program permits suitcases of up to 30 inches per passenger. Suitcases can be secured in designated areas, such as wheelchair spaces.

Addressing long-standing complaints from foreign tourists, the city also said it plans to introduce overseas card payment options for public transportation and expand nighttime transit services as part of its broader tourism strategy through 2030. Many transit systems still require cash or do not accept foreign-issued cards.

In addition, Busan is developing a premium bus service featuring reclining seats and wider spacing that will operate between Incheon Airport and Busan. The city is also working to strengthen transit links to coastal attractions and historic temples in neighboring regions such as Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.

“Building on last year’s achievement of attracting more than 3.64 million foreign visitors, we aim to promote qualitative growth in Busan’s tourism sector so that more visitors stay longer, engage more deeply with the city and return,” Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon said.

Jeju reconnects with Incheon

Jeju Island is preparing to resume direct flights from Incheon starting in May after a decadelong suspension. The move is expected to ease travel for international visitors who previously had to transfer to Gimpo International Airport, typically adding about an hour to their journey.

Jeju International Airport has mainly operated short-haul international routes, such as those to Singapore, making access less convenient for travelers arriving from Europe, Africa and the Americas.

After becoming the first region in Korea to introduce a public transportation payment system accepting international cards on buses last year, Jeju will offer free bus services across the island for foreign visitors on Friday, marking the April 3 memorial tied to its modern history.

Smaller rural areas are also introducing tourist taxi programs to compensate for limited bus services. These programs offer guided tours of local attractions over several hours at discounted rates.

On Wednesday, Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, launched a tourist taxi program offering four-hour tours for 32,000 won ($21), with about 60 percent of the original cost subsidized by the local government. Similarly, Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, began operating a comparable program on Monday, covering around half of the fare.


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