Large-scale K-pop concerts are generating tourism demand that extends beyond mere attendance, driving longer stays and higher spending, a government study showed.
Consumption spread to neighborhoods surrounding concert venues, confirming the "concert-as-tourism-product" effect in concrete figures, according to analysts.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Tourism Organization and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, released the findings Wednesday based on a survey of audiences at BTS concerts held in Gwanghwamun and Goyang.
Foreign attendees at the Gwanghwamun concert on March 21 stayed in Korea for an average of 8.7 days and spent 3.53 million won ($2,600), according to the survey. That compares with 6.1 days and 2.45 million won for typical foreign tourists, representing 2.6 more days of stay and an additional 1.08 million won in spending.
Visitors to the concerts at Goyang Stadium on April 9 and April 11-12 also stayed an average of 7.4 days and spent 2.91 million won. They visited Yongsan, Myeongdong, Dongdaemun Design Plaza and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art before and after the shows, expanding their tourism itineraries around the concerts.
The local spending impact on concert days was even greater. According to the Korea Tourism Organization's analysis of telecom and card data for the Daehwa-dong area in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, foreign visitors during the concert period (April 9, 11 and 12) totaled 48,581, a 35-fold increase from 1,397 in the same period a year earlier. Card spending over the same period jumped to 337.8 million won from 8.9 million won, a 38-fold rise.
The government plans to expand policies linking concerts with regional tourism to reflect this trend. The Culture Ministry will operate a "Welcome Week" from June 1 to 15 in connection with BTS concerts in Busan on June 12-13, and expand Korean Wave tourism courses that combine concerts, filming locations and exhibitions.
"We have confirmed that major Korean Wave concerts drive visits to local regions beyond simple concert attendance," said Kang Jung-won, head of the tourism policy office at the Culture Ministry. "Using concerts as a catalyst to spread tourism demand, which has been concentrated in the metropolitan area, to regional areas is a key task."
"We will expand support to connect foreign visitors who come to Korea for K-culture experiences such as music and dramas with extended-stay tourism in regional areas," he added.
