Busan Tourists’ Top Gripe: Trash Cans, Restrooms

As of September 2, 2026, in-depth interviews released by the city of Busan found that one in four foreign tourists cited a lack of trash cans and unclean public restrooms as their single biggest complaint. Difficulty using public transit, limited multilingual signage, and card-payment hassles rounded out the list.

34Foreign tourists interviewed in depth by the city of Busan

25%Share of responses citing a lack of facilities as the top complaint

18.8%Share of responses citing transit and mobility issues

64%Share of respondents visiting Busan for the first time

Key points

Busan city staff spent three days in late August visiting Haeundae, Yongdusan Park, and Gamcheon Culture Village, interviewing 34 foreign tourists for about 30 minutes each.
Eight responses — roughly a quarter of the total — flagged a lack of trash cans and unclean restrooms as the top complaint; six cited difficulty using public transit.
Nearly half the participants were travelers from Greater China, and 22 of the 34 were visiting Busan for the first time.
Chinese-speaking visitors mainly flagged payment and transit convenience, Japanese visitors pointed to hygiene, and European and North American visitors cited a lack of map information.

For the first time, the city of Busan surveyed foreign tourists through face-to-face interviews rather than relying on statistics or big data. Interviewers spent three days in the fourth week of August visiting spots across the city, including Yongdusan Park, Gamcheon Culture Village, and Haeundae Beach — some of Busan's signature tourist draws. In total, 34 people took part, each spending roughly 30 minutes sharing their travel experience.

Among respondents, Chinese-speaking travelers made up nearly half at 16, followed by 13 English speakers and 5 Japanese speakers. Most — 22 people — were visiting Busan for the first time. By area, 15 participants were interviewed in eastern Busan, the most of any zone, followed by 10 in the old downtown and 9 in western Busan.

The most common complaint was a shortage of trash cans around the city and unclean public restrooms, cited by roughly a quarter of all responses. Plenty of travelers also struggled with public transit — many said they simply didn't know Busan's subway offered passes, and some had trouble hailing taxis. Insufficient foreign-language signage and limited card-payment acceptance each drew four complaints.

Frustrations varied by nationality. Chinese-speaking travelers wanted more merchants to accept WeChat Pay and Alipay, and asked for taxi-availability information in multiple languages. Japanese visitors pointed to smells from public restrooms, a foul-smelling sewer near Seomyeon, and cigarette butts littering the streets. Visitors from Germany, France, Italy, and Canada said it was hard to find Busan travel information on Google Maps and that they weren't familiar with the Visit Busan Pass.

It wasn't all complaints. Tourists broadly praised the scenery where mountains meet the sea, the variety of food, and the city's lively atmosphere — and many said Busan's friendly locals were the main reason they'd want to return. The city plans to hand the findings to relevant departments and district offices to map out fixes. Once a third supplementary budget clears the city council, Busan intends to roll out quick wins like adding trash cans at tourist sites first, and if the approach proves effective, is considering making these in-depth interviews a regular practice starting next year.

In Korea right nowKorea's tourism industry is increasingly focused on visitor satisfaction, not just raw visitor numbers. Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo has emphasized fixing the real problems tourists encounter — a sign this survey is meant to bring ground-level feedback into policy, not just headline statistics. There's a growing sense that for Busan to become a city people return to, it needs to nail the basics first: public facilities and payment infrastructure.

FAQ

How was this survey conducted?

Busan city staff spent three days in late August conducting one-on-one interviews with 34 foreign tourists at major attractions, asking about their travel experience.

What was the biggest complaint?

A shortage of public trash cans and unclean restrooms, cited in about 25% of all responses.

Did complaints differ by nationality?

Yes. Chinese-speaking visitors focused on payments and transit, Japanese visitors on hygiene, and European and North American visitors on a lack of map information.