Ahead of BTS's world tour "Arirang" domestic concerts, Goyang in Gyeonggi Province and the city of Busan are racing to capitalize on the so-called "ARMY special demand." Goyang is focusing on capturing the 120,000-strong audience with citywide decorative lighting and sales events, while Busan is seizing the group's first concert there in four years to stabilize the accommodation market and prepare tie-in events aimed at boosting tourism spending.
According to the respective local governments on Wednesday, the BTS world tour opens on June 9, 11 and 12 at Goyang Stadium's main arena. The tour — the group's first as a full unit since completing military service — spans 82 shows across 34 cities worldwide. Goyang alone expects 40,000 attendees per show, totaling 120,000 over three days.
Since May 24, Goyang has illuminated the exterior walls of Goyang Stadium and the "Singing Fountain" at Ilsan Lake Park in BTS's signature purple. The city added a countdown display that moves the lighting-on time one minute earlier each day leading up to the first show. Hand prints and a photo zone featuring all seven members have been set up at the Goyang Tourism Information Center.
Businesses near the venue are already anticipating a windfall. Kim Sun-jin, 54, who runs a restaurant near Daehwa Station on Seoul Metro Line 3, said, "Whenever a major concert is held, the area is packed with fans from home and abroad. Since BTS's first concert this year falls on a weekend, many merchants are expecting a sales boost."
Accommodation demand is spilling beyond Goyang into neighboring Paju, Gimpo and Incheon. According to a digital travel platform survey, searches for Goyang-area lodging surged roughly eight-fold from the previous week after the tour dates were announced. During the concert period, searches by overseas users jumped up to 185-fold.
Goyang has designated June 6–15 as a "Big Sale Week to Revitalize the Local Economy," with some 80 shops participating in discount events. The city is also discouraging price hikes to curb overcharging. It will operate "Goyang Con-Trip," a program linking major attractions such as Ilsan Lake Park and Bamridan-gil with the Goyang Tourism Information Center, where a large mural of Ilsan-native RM is displayed.
To manage the massive influx, official BTS merchandise sales have been set up separately at KINTEX Exhibition Hall 2. Shuttle buses will run between GTX-A Kintex Station and the venue to help disperse crowds and ease transportation. Goyang Mayor Lee Dong-hwan said, "We will channel the concert fever into local economic revitalization without a single safety incident."
