Busan is good

BTS World Tour–Linked “Citywide Festivalization Project” Successfully Concludes

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) and the Busan Tourism Organization (CEO Lee Jeong-sil) announced that they have successfully concluded all programs under the “Citywide Festivalization Project,” launched in conjunction with the “BTS World Tour Arirang in Busan” concerts held at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on June 12 and 13.

More than half of the concert attendees were international visitors, with fans gathering from around the world, including Japan and China. A total of 110,000 people attended over the two days (55,807 per day), firmly establishing Busan’s reputation as a global K-pop concert city. Including fans who visited areas around the venue without concert tickets, the actual number of visitors to Busan was significantly higher.

Despite the massive influx of 110,000 attendees over two days, transportation and safety operations were carried out smoothly through close cooperation among related organizations, and no major safety incidents occurred during the event period.

Special transportation measures were extensively implemented, including more than 220 additional and extended subway services, 48 additional Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit services, and shortened city bus intervals from 13–16 minutes to 9 minutes. To minimize congestion caused by large-scale vehicle inflows and maintain smooth traffic flow, two exclusive parking lots for charter buses accommodating an average of 235 vehicles per day and ten nearby parking facilities providing an average of 2,770 parking spaces per day were utilized.

A total of 4,790 on-site support personnel from the organizers, Busan Metropolitan City, police, fire services, and Busan Transportation Corporation were deployed over the two days, and all on-site incidents, including 13 emergency medical responses, were handled promptly.

Various citywide events linked to the concerts—including the Love Song Lounge, Port Village, Drone Lighting Show, and Welcome Center—also achieved great success, transforming Busan into one large festival venue.

At Gimhae International Airport, where 31,263 international visitors arrived between June 11 and 13, a “Welcome to Busan” Hospitality Week was operated from June 8 to 14, providing souvenirs and tourism information to 8,200 visitors. The Busan Station Welcome Center, operated from June 5 to 21, served a total of 26,245 visitors, 75.8 percent of whom were international visitors, becoming a key hospitality hub for overseas fans. The center also offered luggage storage and delivery services, while a temporary baggage storage facility at Sports Complex Station stored 560 items over the two concert days, providing convenient services for international attendees.

Approximately 100,000 people visited the Love Song Lounge on Haeundae Gunam-ro between June 12 and 14, while “Port Village Busan 2026” at Busan Port Pier 1 recorded more than 50,000 visitors during the concert period. The Drone Lighting Show at Gwangalli Beach on June 12 and 13 featured 1,000 drones forming images of BTS members and welcome messages for the fan club ARMY across the night sky, attracting a total audience of 54,000 over two days.

The “Byeolbada Busan Night Market” at Hwamyeong Ecological Park, held from June 10 to 14, attracted 9,000 visitors over five days through traditional liquor pop-up stores, food zones, and performance events. “The Red Moment Busan” at Song Sang-hyeon Square, held from June 11 to 13, added traditional Korean cultural sensibilities through Ari Red-themed lighting, photo zones, traditional music performances, and fan-making craft experiences.

The economic impact of the concerts extended across the local economy through increased tourism souvenir sales, culinary tourism, and content consumption, helping stimulate tourism spending throughout Busan.

Average daily sales at tourism souvenir shops located at Busan Station, Gwangalli, and Haeundae during the concert period (June 11–14) reached approximately KRW 8.54 million, representing a 136 percent increase compared to the same period last year. On June 14, the highest daily sales during the event period were recorded at approximately KRW 14.1 million. In particular, the Busan Station branch experienced a 316 percent increase in average daily sales year-on-year.

A total of 705 passengers boarded the BTS-themed City Tour Bus as of June 15, and all copies of the Busan Gourmet Guidebook (2,300 English-language copies and 200 Korean-language copies) were distributed. As of June 15, Busan’s local recommendation list linked to Naver’s “BE LOCAL” campaign had recorded nearly 30,000 views, demonstrating strong interest among international visitors.

Despite concerns over sharp increases in accommodation rates at some lodging establishments before the concerts, Busan Metropolitan City created a fair tourism environment for global visitors through comprehensive measures including expanded public accommodation supply, joint inspections, and operation of the “Fair Lodging Challenge.”

In cooperation with religious organizations, universities, and public institutions, the city provided 295 rooms across 26 facilities, accommodating a total of 1,776 guests. The “Seagull Nest Stay” program, in which local residents voluntarily opened their homes to visiting fans, hosted 54 international tourists and drew attention as an exemplary model of public-private cooperation, allowing visitors to experience Busan through local households.

To analyze the tourism impact of the concerts and related events, the city is conducting both big data analysis using telecommunications and credit card transaction data and policy research through the Busan Institute. The findings, scheduled for release in early August, will be actively utilized to enhance future projects linked to global mega-events and to further develop stay-oriented tourism policy models.

In addition, more than 19,000 people participated in surveys conducted among Welcome Center visitors and guests staying in public accommodations. These results will be analyzed in conjunction with the big data findings.

Na Yoon-bin, Director General of the Tourism and MICE Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “This concert and its related project demonstrated that a major performance can transform an entire city into a stage for K-tourism. The greatest achievement was that fans from around the world were able to fully enjoy Busan beyond the concert venue itself.”

He added, “If there are still aspects of Busan that visitors were unable to fully experience during this trip, we hope they will return at any time. We will continue doing our utmost to enhance the status of Busan as a global tourism city.”