Busan’s Local Charms as a Rising MICE City

24.05.2024 - 07:53 / breakingtravelnews.com

ⓒKorea Tourism Organization Photokorea-Seo Yeong-gyun

With COVID-19 in the endemic stage, the market for MICE events is booming around the world, and competition to host them is heating up. Cities that market themselves as MICE destinations are realizing the importance of employing a higher level of strategy and variety in their promotional activities. The MICE city of Busan is also seeking to set itself apart with unique MICE experiences that only the marine city can offer.

The Ocean’s Role in Busan’s MICE Industry
As a global maritime city, Busan has hosted a number of prominent ocean-themed MICE events over the years, including the IAPH World Ports Conference, the FIATA World Congress, and the International Marine Debris Conference. Busan is also the standing host of the World Ocean Forum, an annual global gathering for discussions on shipping, ports, fishing, and other areas concerning the ocean. The KORMARINE International Maritime and Energy Exhibition is another regular event that Busan hosts. One of the world’s five largest shipbuilding and maritime expos, KORMARINE drew the participation of 900 businesses from 40 countries in 2023. With nearly 1,900 booths and 30,000 visitors, the 2023 event was a spectacular success.
Busan’s advanced maritime infrastructure and technology, combined with its MICE industry, have led to global recognition of Busan as a hotbed for the shipbuilding and maritime industry. The two industries are creating synergies between them. Busan’s MICE industry is promoting the economic development of the city’s shipbuilding industry, while its thriving maritime industry is consolidating Busan’s image as a top choice for MICE events, especially ocean-themed ones.

Growth of Busan’s Entertainment and Leisure Industry
The events held in a particular region can promote the development of that region’s industries. For Busan, the G-Star video game expo and the flourishing game industry in Busan that followed are an example. Busan has hosted G-Star every year since the 20-year-old festival was relocated there in 2009. The result has been a fivefold increase in the number of game companies in Busan, and a tenfold increase in the revenue of Busan’s game industry. As the standing host of G-Star, Busan is devising a number of strategies to expand its role even further. The city is building the tentatively named “Game Convergence Space,” which is scheduled to open in 2025, and operating a game fund worth KRW 100 billion to attract global game companies to Busan with attractive incentives.

Another signature MICE event project Busan is working on at present centers on coffee. As a center of international logistics, 92.5% of the coffee beans imported by Korea go through Busan (as of