[News Today] “BTS foreign fans drive higher spending”

[LEAD]

Foreign fans who visited Korea for BTS' comeback concert last month stayed longer and spent more than typical tourists. It highlights the significant economic impact of large-scale K-pop events.

[REPORT]

Waves of purple wash over Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul.

BTS fans from all over the globe gathered in Gwanghwamun to see the K-pop mega band's return after three years and nine months.

Foreign visitors who came to see the concert stayed in Korea for 8.7 days on average.

BTS fans stayed three days longer and each of them spent about a million won or about 670 U.S. dollars more than other types of foreign tourists.

The same situation was observed at the BTS concert held in Goyang.

Over the three-day concert, nearly 50,000 foreign visitors descended on the vicinity of the concert venue and spent more than KRW 300 million or around USD 200 thousand.

Compared to the same period last year, the number of visitors jumped over 35 times and their spending more than 38 times.

A survey found that large-scale hallyu events like BTS concerts led to an increased influx of foreign tourists and more spending in the region.

The government plans to expand tourism products associated with K-culture to other parts of the country.

Prof. Yoon Hye-jin / Kyonggi Univ.

Qualities such as stronger loyalty than consumers impacts tourism. It's related to global popularity and the fans' spending power.

However, given that the tourism effects reliant on the fans of a certain group or cultural content are limited, new strategies are needed to maintain steady demands and growth in tourism.