BTS concert ignites Busan: 64,000 foreign fans, souvenir sales surge 4-fold

The recent "BTS World Tour 'Arirang'" concert in Busan, held on October 12-13, drew an impressive crowd, with over 64,000 foreign attendees making up 57.5% of the total 111,614 spectators. This massive influx of international fans, primarily from Asian countries like Japan, Taiwan, and China, significantly impacted the local economy.

During the three-day period from October 11-13, the number of foreign arrivals through Gimhae International Airport reached 31,263. The concert's economic ripple effect was particularly evident in tourism. Three major souvenir shops in Busan experienced a daily average sales increase of 2.3 times compared to the same period last year, reaching 8.54 million won. On October 14, sales surged to 14.09 million won, with one shop seeing a 4.1-fold increase in average daily sales.

Beyond direct sales, associated events surrounding the concert also saw high attendance. The "Love Song Lounge" on Haeundae's Gu-nam-ro attracted approximately 100,000 visitors from October 12-14. The "Gwangalli Beach Drone Lighting Show," featuring 1,000 drones, drew 54,000 spectators on October 12-13. A "Starry Night Market" event held from October 10-14 attracted around 9,000 visitors.

To mitigate potential issues like exorbitant accommodation prices, Busan city promoted a "fair accommodation" campaign, with 26 organizations offering 295 rooms at normal or no cost to tourists. Additionally, 25 Busan families provided free lodging for 54 international BTS fans. Na Yoon-bin, head of Busan's tourism bureau, stated that the city plans to conduct big data analysis using telecommunications and credit card sales data to fully assess the concert's impact, viewing it as a prime example of how large-scale performances can transform a city into a tourism hub.