Unlock Free eSIM: Airalo Partners with Busan for 2025 Tourism Boost

[The Public = Reporter Yoo Su-jin] The city of Busan announced on the 16th that it signed a letter of intent (LOI) with global eSIM unicorn Airalo during a ceremony held in the city hall's international protocol room.

Airalo operates a global eSIM (digital SIM) marketplace for travelers. Founded in 2019 by Abraham Burak and Ahmet Bahadir Özdemir, the company grew to more than 20 million app users by 2025 and became the eSIM sector’s first unicorn, valued at over 1 trillion KRW (about $750 million).

The LOI includes: ▲ joint incubation of local startups in the tourism sector; ▲ distribution of 100,000 free eSIM voucher codes (each valued at about $4.50) for visitors to Busan, plus the creation and distribution of a Busan-specific eSIM; ▲ provision of eSIM voucher codes and global discount codes to support Busan residents traveling abroad and young Busan entrepreneurs heading overseas; ▲ free or special eSIMs for foreigners attending international events hosted by Busan; ▲ promotional campaigns to boost eSIM adoption among international tourists; and ▲ sharing of Airalo data with the city—such as activation timing, per‑nationality uptake, and data usage distribution—to help refine Busan’s tourism policies.

The partnership traces back to Airalo’s participation in Fly Asia 2025, Busan’s startup expo last year.

Airalo was nurtured by Plug and Play, the Silicon Valley startup accelerator, which helped introduce the company to Fly Asia 2025, where Airalo ran an exhibition booth for attendees.

Beyond offering free eSIMs to foreign visitors, the LOI also provides discount codes for Busan residents traveling abroad and support for young locals expanding overseas. Officials expect these measures to ease the burden of international data roaming for citizens.

Airalo will also share data on foreign visitors’ eSIM usage with Busan, and city officials say that insight should help improve and modernize the city’s tourism strategy.

After signing the agreement, the city and Airalo said they will begin joint pre‑promotion efforts. Details on the distribution method and locations for the free eSIMs will be finalized through further coordination and announced separately.

Melvin NG, Airalo’s head of Asia‑Pacific, said, "Busan is an attractive destination for international travelers thanks to its natural beauty. I understand that foreign arrivals to Busan rose 24% from 2024 to 3.64 million in 2025. This LOI is Airalo’s first with a Korean local government, and we hope it will help Busan reach its goal of five million foreign visitors."

Mayor Park Hyung‑joon added, "The LOI not only provides free eSIMs for visitors but also includes a range of benefits for Busan residents traveling abroad. With pressure on the tourism industry from factors like rising fuel surcharges amid geopolitical instability, these measures should help materially reduce the financial burden on both visitors to Busan and citizens traveling overseas."