Foreign Spending Surges 38-Fold on BTS Goyang Concert Days... K-Culture Drives Local Economic Growth

“Welcome Week” Linked to BTS Busan Concert in June

BTS performed their world tour 'ARIRANG' on the 11th at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si. Photo by BigHit Music

Large-scale Korean Wave (Hallyu) concerts have been found to lengthen the stay of foreign tourists in Korea and contribute to revitalizing the local economy.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute and the Korea Tourism Organization, conducted on-site surveys and big data analysis targeting audiences at BTS’s concerts held in Gwanghwamun and Goyang.

According to the survey, foreigners who attended the Gwanghwamun concert on March 21 stayed in Korea for an average of 8.7 days and spent 3.53 million won per person. This far exceeds the average stay of 6.1 days and spending of 2.45 million won per person by general inbound tourists in the first quarter of 2026.

Visitors to the concerts at Goyang Sports Complex on April 9 and April 11–12 stayed for an average of 7.4 days and spent 2.91 million won each. The analysis showed that tourists expanded their travel itineraries by visiting nearby areas such as Yongsan, Myeong-dong, and Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in addition to attending the concerts.

The number of foreign visitors and their spending in the Daehwa-dong area of Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, where the concerts were held, also increased. According to analysis of telecommunications and card transaction data by the Korea Tourism Organization for the three-day concert period, the number of foreign visitors reached 48,581, a 35-fold increase compared to the same period in 2025. During the same period, foreign card spending surged 38-fold year-on-year to 337.8 million won, providing a boost to the local economy.

The government plans to expand K-culture-linked tourism nationwide based on these results. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Visit Korea Committee have designated June 1–15 as a “Welcome Week” in line with the upcoming BTS concert in Busan on June 12–13, encouraging visits to the region.

Kang Jeongwon, policy chief at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, “The number of foreign visitors whose main purpose is to experience K-culture, such as music and film, is increasing. We will actively support the connection of tourism content so that visits to the Seoul metropolitan area can lead to longer stays in other regions.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.