BTS' 'Arirang' South American Tour Begins: "Economic Impact Expected in Each City"

BTS will kick off the South American leg of its world tour, 'Arirang' (ARIRANG), in Bogotá, Colombia. Local attention is also focused on the economic ripple effects of the concerts, including increased spending and job creation.
BTS will perform at Estadio Nemesio Camacho El Campín in Bogotá on the 3rd and 4th (Korea time), then continue with a total of 14 concerts across five cities: Lima, Peru; Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and São Paulo, Brazil. This will be the first time BTS has performed as a full group in Colombia and Argentina.
The Bogotá District Economic Development Office estimated that BTS's concert would generate an economic impact of approximately 126.054 billion Colombian pesos (about 51.7 billion won) and create 5,244 direct and indirect jobs. The Bogotá Tourism Board also estimated that spending related to the two concerts would reach 99 billion pesos (about 40.6 billion won).
Expectations for an economic boost are also growing in the other cities. Chilean economic newspaper Diario Financiero estimated the economic impact of the three Santiago concerts at approximately $53 million (about 72 billion won). It predicted that the effects would spread throughout the local economy as spending increases not only on tickets but also on transportation, accommodations, food and beverages, and merchandise.
In Peru, the number of people waiting to purchase tickets exceeded 521,000. Peru's Commission for the Promotion of Exports and Tourism highlighted the concerts as a leading example of 'music tourism and the BTS effect.' In Lima, fans will also hold a tribute drone show.
In São Paulo, the final stop on the South American tour, more than 630,000 people flocked to presales over two days. Local economic newspaper Exame projected that ticket sales from the three concerts would reach at least 216.8 million reais (about 56.4 billion won).
[email protected] Jeong Sun-min Reporter