Ahead of the BTS World Tour Busan concert, Lotte Department Store is launching a large-scale integrated marketing campaign targeting domestic and international tourists and global fans visiting the city. The strategy aims to channel the concert boost into local consumption through stay-oriented tourism programs combining K-beauty, K-food, local content and cultural performances.
Lotte Department Store's Busan Main Branch, Gwangbok Branch, Dongnae Branch and Lotte Mall East Busan announced Wednesday that they will run a tourist attraction project tailored to each store's characteristics throughout June.
The event is designed to extend the stay of domestic and international tourists visiting Busan and spread their spending to local commercial districts. Lotte Department Store plans to strengthen its role as a lifestyle platform encompassing tourism, culture and culinary content beyond a simple shopping space.
The Busan Main Branch focused on securing transportation convenience for concertgoers. The "Seomyeon Lotte Town Purple Wrapping Bus," operated jointly with Busan Lotte Hotel, will connect Gimhae Airport and Seomyeon Lotte Town from June 11 to 14. On June 12 and 13, when the BTS concerts are held, the bus will also run to Asiad Main Stadium to support transportation for international tourists and concertgoers.
Tourist-exclusive benefits have also been prepared. The store will operate a new membership program that includes a 5 percent discount coupon usable at all four Lotte Department Store branches and will unveil a large pop-up store where visitors can find K-beauty, fashion and goods in one place. A K-goods showcase will be installed in the central lobby of Lotte Hotel to draw tourists.
The Gwangbok Branch, which sees a high proportion of foreign tourist visits, is strengthening its K-food marketing. The branch will simultaneously hold the "Korean Food Festa," featuring various Korean desserts such as dakgangjeong (sweet and spicy fried chicken) and strawberry mochi, and the "Gwangbok K-Festa" to revitalize the old downtown commercial district.
In particular, the "Global Service Room," which newly opened late last month, has significantly enhanced shopping convenience for foreign tourists by providing interpretation, currency exchange, tax refund and luggage storage services in one location.
The Dongnae Branch is putting K-beauty front and center. In collaboration with Olive Young, the store has created a specialized space centered on cosmetics popular among foreign customers and applied the K-WAVE concept throughout the store. A pop-up store for "Yeongdo Halmae Gimbap," a representative local Busan brand, will also operate to help promote local restaurants.
Lotte Mall East Busan is focusing on capturing the global fandom. Foreign customers will receive seaweed, a specialty of Gijang, as a gift, and customers holding concert tickets or merchandise will be given discount vouchers usable at food and beverage stores.
On weekends and holidays, the mall will transform into a complex tourism space combining shopping and culture, presenting a series of performances including freestyle soccer, taekwondo dance and traditional Korean music B-boy shows.
Lotte Department Store expects this event, which combines K-content, local specialties and cultural performances, to spread tourist spending across Busan and enhance mutual growth with local small business owners.
"We have prepared content tailored to each store's characteristics so that domestic and international customers visiting Busan can enjoy shopping, culture and gastronomy together," said Jin Seung-hyun, head of the Busan Main Branch. "We will continue to expand differentiated programs that can grow alongside local commercial districts and contribute to revitalizing stay-oriented tourism in Busan."
