"Searches for trips to Busan surge 2,375%"... 'BTSnomics' shakes the global tourism industry

[Financial News] As BTS (Bangtan Boys) prepares to launch its large-scale "Arirang" (ARIRANG) world tour in April, starting in Goyang and spanning 82 shows across 34 cities in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia, the tourism industry in host cities is already heating up.
On the 26th, Big Hit Music, BTS's management company, cited data from global accommodation platform Hotels.com showing that, in the 48 hours following the tour announcement on the 14th, inbound travel searches from overseas to Seoul Metropolitan City jumped 155% compared with the previous week.
In particular, inbound searches for Busan Metropolitan City, where a concert will be held in June to mark the group’s debut anniversary, soared by 2,375%. Strong demand from major Asian markets such as Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan played a key role in driving up the numbers.
The 34 cities that BTS will visit are also seeing a surge in interest after news of the tour stops became public.
Brazilian radio station BandNews FM reported that, in connection with the São Paulo show scheduled for October, "since the tour announcement, searches for bus tickets to São Paulo have increased more than 600-fold compared with the previous period."
The Guardian in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) also predicted that the BTS tour would drive growth in tourism, accommodation, and local spending in host cities. It described the tour as "a global event that could have a major impact on urban economies across North America."
Quoting experts, the outlet noted, "Typically, concertgoers traveling from other regions spend about 3.4 times the ticket price on travel and tourism," and added, "However, this average does not apply to BTS. They are expected to far exceed that figure, and it is difficult even to estimate the full economic ripple effect of this tour."
BTS will release its fifth full-length album "Arirang" (ARIRANG) on March 20 and hold a large-scale comeback concert the following day at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul Metropolitan City.
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter