From Local Streets to the World... Busan Recruits 'Gourmet' Selection Participants to Strengthen Culinary Tourism Content

Busan City to Enhance Policy Quality
Through Gourmet Talk Concerts and Public Engagement

Busan City is working to enhance its tourism competitiveness by expanding its gourmet tourism content.

On March 25, the city announced that it is recruiting participants for the "2026 Busan Gourmet Selection."

The Busan Gourmet Selection is a program in which restaurants collaborate to develop new menus and courses, utilizing these creations as tourism content. It is designed to allow tourists to experience Busan’s culinary offerings.

Last year, the program primarily featured restaurants selected by the Michelin Guide, but this year, eligibility has been expanded to include general dining establishments. The city has lowered the entry barriers so that a wider variety of food service businesses can participate.

The city will select a total of 30 teams and provide each team with approximately 3 million won in promotional support. Through menu development and marketing, the initiative aims to drive tangible increases in sales.

Recently, the number of Busan restaurants selected by the Michelin Guide has increased to 55, and for the first time, a local restaurant has entered the "Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants" ranking, further solidifying Busan’s status as a gourmet destination.

Busan City plans to use the Gourmet Selection program to expand gourmet tourism into a stay-type tourism model and to invigorate local commercial districts.

Nah Yunbin, Director of the Tourism and MICE Bureau of Busan City, stated, "Busan’s culinary scene is being transformed into tourism content that tells the city’s stories and experiences, and through the Gourmet Selection, we plan to establish a culinary ecosystem that grows alongside the local industry."

He also emphasized, "By engaging citizens through events such as talk concerts, we will enhance the quality of our policies and firmly establish Busan as a global gourmet tourism city where culinary diversity thrives."

Busan City Hall.

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