BTS world tour triggers global travel surge, boosting Korea tourism

SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - Global excitement is building ahead of BTS’s first full-group world tour in more than four years. Fans are moving quickly to secure flights and accommodation to Korea, helping turn “tour tourism” into a major growth driver for the local travel industry.

According to global travel platform Hotels.com on January 21, searches for inbound travel to Korea surged in the 48 hours following the announcement of BTS’s new world tour, BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’, on January 13. The spike reflects how global fans’ desire to see the group’s comeback in person quickly turned into travel plans.

The surge in interest was also seen in ticket sales, with all BTS shows in North America and Europe selling out. Stadium venues in each region saw seats snapped up shortly after ticket sales opened.

The world tour will begin on April 9 at Goyang Sports Complex. All presale dates were sold out. The tour will then move to the Tokyo Dome on April 17.
 
The North American tour will start at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on April 25, 26 and 28, before moving on to cities including El Paso, Mexico City, Stanford and Las Vegas.

In total, BTS will perform 31 shows across 12 cities. BTS will perform 31 shows in 12 cities, with extra dates added in Tampa, Stanford and Las Vegas due to strong demand. 

The Europe tour will begin at Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on June 26 and 27. BTS will then perform in cities such as Brussels, London, Munich and Paris, with 10 shows in five cities.

The North American tour will be another milestone, with BTS becoming the first Korean artist to hold solo concerts at major U.S. stadiums such as Sun Bowl Stadium, Stanford Stadium, Gillette Stadium, M&T Bank Stadium and AT&T Stadium. 

The world tour will include 82 shows across 34 cities, marking a record for a single K-pop tour. With more regions yet to open ticket sales and additional dates planned in Japan and the Middle East, the scale of the tour is expected to expand further. 

Meanwhile, BTS will release their fifth full-length album, ARIRANG, on March 20 at 1 p.m. The 14-track record captures “BTS today,” weaving together themes of identity, love and longing — and marking the start of their long-awaited return.  The group's first comeback stage is set for an open urban space at Gwanghwamun in downtown Seoul on March 21, although the details including the time are still being negotiated due to safety issues.