SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - Busan, South Korea's second-largest city and biggest port, has turned into a mini-Asia as it hosts a two-day homecoming concert for BTS, timed with the group's 13th anniversary.
The summer vacation season arrived early for the coastal city, with fans crowding department stores, luxury outlets, convenience stores and Olive Young shops, while roaming beaches and BTS-themed streets ahead of the June 12-13 concerts.
By late May, major hotels including Paradise Hotel Busan, The Westin Josun Busan, Grand Josun Busan, Ananti Cove and Sono Moon Haeundae had either sold out or reported occupancy rates above 90 percent for the concert period.
"BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN BUSAN" will take place at Busan Asiad Main Stadium, the same venue that hosted "Yet To Come in BUSAN" in October 2022, the group's last major full-member performance before the members began their mandatory military service.
The second day of the concert also falls on the anniversary of BTS's debut, adding emotional weight to the Busan shows.
It marks a homecoming after the group launched its world tour in Goyang, west of Seoul, drawing about 132,000 fans over three performances. Since then, BTS has swept through Japan, the United States and Mexico, with Busan serving as the latest stop on a global itinerary spanning 34 cities and up to 85 performances through March 2027.
The group also picked up Artist of the Year and two other trophies at the American Music Awards during its stop in Las Vegas.
The tourist boom is already translating into stronger consumer spending across Busan. Foreign sales at Shinsegae Centum City surged 267 percent during the first five months of the year from a year earlier, while overseas visitor sales at Lotte Department Store's Busan Main Store and Dongbusan branch rose 125 percent and 150 percent, respectively.
Convenience stores and beauty retailers have also benefited. Foreign-currency transactions at GS25 stores near major tourist destinations such as Haeundae and Gwangalli jumped nearly 192 percent, while foreign sales at Olive Young stores in key tourism districts rose 64 percent. Spending by visitors from Greater China increased by about 80 percent.
The figures suggest Busan is increasingly attracting tourists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and other parts of Asia not only as a sightseeing destination but also as a shopping and lifestyle hub. Industry officials say foreign tourists who once concentrated their spending in Seoul's Myeong-dong and Gangnam are increasingly extending their trips to Busan.
The city has also prepared sideline showcases and events such as the Busan Port Festival and the Busan One Asia Festival to ride the BTS boom.
"When you walk into Shinsegae Department Store these days, it's hard to tell whether you're in Busan or Fukuoka," said Park Sun-young, a 50-year-old resident of Busan's Centum City district.
"You see Japanese and Chinese shoppers lining up outside luxury boutiques such as Hermès and Louis Vuitton. It's the same in Haeundae. I've never heard so many different Asian languages spoken in one place before," she added.
Foreign arrivals reached 7.01 million in the first four months of this year, up 20.9 percent from a year earlier. Taiwan recorded the fastest growth at 34.1 percent, followed by China at 23.5 percent, Japan at 19.5 percent, Vietnam at 12.6 percent and the United States at 11.6 percent.
Busan has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of that trend. The city welcomed a record 3.64 million foreign visitors in 2025, while more than 1.02 million overseas travelers visited during the first quarter of this year, up 45 percent from a year earlier and marking the fastest time the city has surpassed the one-million-visitor mark since related statistics began in 2014.
Authorities are preparing for a sharp increase in overseas visitors. The Incheon Airport Immigration Office said it will implement special operating measures from Wednesday to Saturday in anticipation of a surge in foreign arrivals traveling to Busan for the concerts.
During a previous BTS concert period in April, daily foreign arrivals at Incheon Airport rose to between 47,000 and 49,000, roughly 26 percent higher than the monthly average. Chinese visitors accounted for the largest share, while travelers from Japan, Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries also increased significantly.
Unlike BTS's first comeback performance at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square in March, where nearly three-quarters of foreign attendees were long-term residents already living in Korea, the Busan concerts are expected to draw a larger share of visitors traveling specifically for the event, particularly from China, Taiwan, Japan and Southeast Asia.
The trend has been aided by frequent regional air routes, even as long-haul travel remains costly amid the Gulf crisis.
The city's growing popularity has even spawned the term "Busan craze," referring to travelers who find themselves wanting to return after experiencing the city's beaches, food culture and laid-back coastal atmosphere.
But not everyone has been happy with the city.
According to data from the Korea Tourism Data Lab, operated by the Korea Tourism Organization, Busan alone accounted for more than half of all tourism-related complaints filed nationwide in May, with 185 of 368 cases reported in the city.
That total was equivalent to about 77 percent of all tourism complaints reported in Busan during the entirety of 2025. Complaint numbers jumped sharply from 48 in April to 185 in May, with accommodation-related grievances making up the overwhelming majority.
Many complaints involved unilateral reservation cancellations, excessive cancellation fees and allegations of price gouging. Foreign visitors accounted for 83.8 percent of all complaints, significantly outnumbering domestic travelers.
The increase came after reports emerged that some accommodation providers had canceled existing reservations and relisted rooms at higher prices following the announcement of BTS's Busan concerts.
BTS members personally appealed to hospitality operators not to damage the image of the country or the group through profiteering. Local and central government authorities have since stepped up inspections of lodging businesses and transportation operators to prevent unfair pricing practices and minimize inconvenience for visitors.
After Busan, BTS will continue its world tour through Europe, North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Greater China and Australia.
The scale of the concerts and the consistency of production quality at each venue have drawn awe and praise, generating a wave of online confessions from new fans who say they have converted to ARMY.
In a social media post on Monday, a member of the tour's technical team said the show will feature a 360-degree stage designed to bring fans closer to the performance, supported by around 100 trucks, 10 cargo aircraft and 400 crew members.
The concerts will also be streamed online and shown through live-viewing screenings, allowing fans outside Busan to take part in the anniversary event.
For Busan, the shows are more than another stop on the group's world tour. They may test whether a burst of global attention can become something more lasting.
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