Foreign tourists who visited Korea to attend BTS concerts at Gwanghwamun stayed 2.6 days longer and spent 1.08 million won ($790) more than average foreign visitors, according to government data. Based on these findings, the government plans to support extended-stay tourism linked to K-culture.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday released the results of on-site surveys and big data analysis of telecommunications and card spending from attendees of the BTS Gwanghwamun concert (March 21) and Goyang Stadium concerts (April 9, 11-12). The ministry conducted the research jointly with the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute and the Korea Tourism Organization.
Foreign ARMY members who attended the BTS Gwanghwamun concert stayed an average of 8.7 days and spent 3.53 million won. Both figures were 1.4 times higher than the average stay (6.1 days) and per-person spending (2.45 million won) of general foreign tourists in the first quarter of this year.
Foreign attendees at the Goyang concerts also stayed an average of 7.4 days and spent 2.91 million won. Their stay was 1.3 days longer and their spending was 460,000 won higher than that of general tourists. Notably, foreign visitors to the Goyang concerts engaged in various activities before and after the shows. They visited Yongsan, Myeongdong, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in connection with the "BTS THE CITY Seoul Program."
The trickle-down effect on the local economy during the Goyang concerts was also significant. Foreign visitors to the Daehwa-dong area in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, reached 48,581 during the three concert days. This marked a 35-fold increase from the 1,398 foreign visitors during the same period last year (April 10, 12-13). Foreign card spending also surged 38-fold, from 8.9 million won to 337.8 million won during the same period.
With the BTS effect confirmed, the government plans to run a "Welcome Week" (June 1-15) in conjunction with the BTS Busan concerts scheduled for June 12-13, encouraging foreign visitors to spend on lodging, shopping, and dining. The government will also support regional K-pop concerts and concert-linked K-culture experience exhibitions, and develop tourism courses connected to K-drama and music video filming locations.
"We have confirmed that large-scale Hallyu concerts translate inbound tourism demand into longer stays and higher spending," said Kang Jung-won, director general of tourism policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. "We will actively support foreign visitors whose purpose is to experience K-culture itself so that their visits lead to extended regional tourism."
