BTS World Tour Sparking Global Tourism Boom as Search Interest Hits Record Highs
The announcement of a massive new world tour by K-pop icons BTS has triggered an unprecedented surge in international travel interest toward South Korea. According to data released by the accommodation platform Hotels.com and cited by the group’s agency, Big Hit Music, searches for travel to Seoul and Busan have skyrocketed as fans scramble to secure both concert tickets and accommodations.
In the 48 hours following the tour revelation, overseas inquiries for Seoul rose by 155 percent compared to the previous week. However, the impact was even more pronounced for Busan, which is scheduled to host a performance in June. According to Hotels.com, international travel searches for the coastal city surged by a staggering 2,375 percent. This spike was most visible in neighboring regions such as Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, where search volume for Busan increased by several thousand percent.
Big Hit Music further noted that the “BTS effect” is not limited to international fans. Domestic interest has seen a parallel rise, with Korean travelers increasing their searches for Seoul by 190 percent and for Busan by 3,855 percent during the same window.
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The frenzy has extended far beyond Asia. In South America, the Brazilian news radio station BandNews FM reported that the group’s October concert in Sao Paulo has become a major cultural focal point. Citing data from the transportation platform ClickBus, the news outlet noted that searches for bus travel to Sao Paulo grew more than 600-fold immediately following the announcement.
This travel boom coincides with a total sell-out of concert tickets, which vanished during the South Korean presale period that began on January 22. The ambitious world tour is set to launch on April 9 at Goyang Stadium before visiting 34 cities for a total of 82 performances. As the largest-ever solo K-pop tour, the trek will see BTS make history as the first Korean act to headline major American venues, including AT&T Stadium in Texas and Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, according to Big Hit Music.