Why Foreign Tourists Are Flocking to Busan's Backstreets, Including a Neighborhood Called Ami

Busan's old downtown is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about destinations for foreign tourists in South Korea. New government data shows the city now holds the top three spots in the country for fastest-growing foreign visitor numbers.

According to the Korea Tourism Data Lab, run by the Korea Tourism Organization, the top three neighborhoods nationwide for foreign tourist growth in the first quarter of this year (January through March) were all located in Busan, the report said on June 6.

The biggest jump came in Bongnae 2-dong, in Busan's Yeongdo District. Foreign visitors there rose to 72,515, up from 5,902 during the same period last year. That is a 1,128 percent increase. Second on the list was Ami-dong in Seo District, where visitor numbers climbed from 20,192 to 173,227, a 757 percent jump. Third was Gaya 2-dong in Busanjin District, which grew from 6,591 to 39,900 visitors, a 505 percent increase.

Hwango-dong in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, came in fourth, followed by Hwado-myeon in Ganghwa County, Incheon, in fifth.

Bongnae-dong in Yeongdo has been spreading by word of mouth among travelers thanks to its mix of small ship-repair yards, cafe streets built inside old factories, and wide views of Busan Harbor.

Ami-dong, often called "Biseok Maeul" or "Tombstone Village," draws visitors with a different kind of appeal. The neighborhood still carries traces of refugees who settled there during the Korean War, giving it a unique history and look. It is also leading the wave in raw numbers, not just growth rates, making it one of the strongest engines behind the old downtown's tourism boom.

Industry watchers say part of Ami-dong's pull may come from an unexpected source: the name sounds the same as ARMY, the official fandom name for K-pop group BTS. Some tourism officials believe this overlap has caught the attention of overseas fans.

"It seems foreign visitors are moving away from the usual stops like Haeundae and Gwangalli and looking for a new kind of trip, one that takes them through Busan's alleys and older corners," said a source in the local tourism industry.

The shift points to a broader change in how foreign travelers are exploring Korea. Beyond the famous beaches and shopping districts, it is now the smaller, more personal parts of a city that are pulling in the biggest crowds.