BTS Effect: Korean Fan Spending Jumps $800

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, and the Korea Tourism Organization announced analysis results showing that foreign tourists who visited Korea to watch BTS performances had a longer average stay and spent more than general tourists.

The survey found that foreign tourists who attended the BTS Gwanghwamun comeback concert stayed an average of 8.7 days and spent 3.53 million won. This is 2.6 days longer than the average stay of general foreign tourists in the first quarter (6.1 days) and 1.08 million won more than their spending (2.45 million won).

Furthermore, attendees of the Goyang World Tour concert also stayed an average of 7.4 days and spent 2.91 million won, showing a high economic ripple effect compared to general tourists. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and others analyzed that these results were due to the expanded tourism routes as visitors visited areas like Yongsan, Myeongdong, DDP, and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, where the 'BTS The City Seoul Program' was held before and after the performances.

In particular, the Daehwa-dong area in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, near the concert venue, showed a clear '​BTS effect', with a 35-fold increase in foreign visitors and a 38-fold increase in spending compared to the same period last year.

Kang Jeong-won, Director of the Tourism Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "We plan to analyze the trends and effects of inbound tourism based on data and utilize it for tourism policies," adding, "We will support foreign visitors whose purpose is experiencing K-culture to visit regions and extend their stays, leading to longer-term tourism."