"The World Is Watching Korea: 'BTSnomics' Generates 1.22 Trillion Won per Concert"

Gwanghwamun Comeback Show in March Spurs Surge in Seoul Hotel Bookings
Overseas Searches Up 2,375% as Tour Revenue Tops $1 Billion
First Korean Artist to Perform at Stanford Stadium and More
"Tourism and Economy Booming... Trickle-Down Effe

BTS. Provided by Big Hit Music

The full-group return of BTS is having an immediate impact on the global real economy. With the announcement of their world tour, demand for accommodation and transportation in major cities has surged, and even heads of state have made unprecedented requests for additional concerts. Analysts say the so-called "BTS Effect"-which stimulates not only cultural content but also domestic consumption, tourism, and financial markets simultaneously-is once again becoming a reality.

According to their agency Big Hit Music on January 28, tickets for the North American and European legs of the "BTS World Tour Arirang" sold out all stadium seats immediately after pre-sales began on January 24. In particular, 150,000 tickets for the three scheduled concerts in Mexico City sold out in just 37 minutes. Fans from neighboring countries such as Peru, Colombia, and Chile, as well as Mexico, rushed to buy tickets, resulting in a series of sellouts.

On January 26, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced during a regular briefing that she had sent an official letter to President Lee Jaemyung requesting additional BTS concerts in Mexico. President Sheinbaum explained, "1.1 million people rushed to buy tickets for the Mexico City concert, leading to an instant sellout," and added, "Since there are still many young people eager to attend, I made a diplomatic request." It is extremely rare in global concert history for a head of state to officially request additional performances by a specific artist at the government level.

This tour is rewriting the records of the concert industry itself. Billboard, a leading U.S. music media outlet, projected that BTS will generate over $1 billion (approximately 1.45 trillion won) in revenue from this tour, including ticket and merchandise sales. Their solo concert at Stanford Stadium marks only the second time a global artist has performed there, following Coldplay, and they will be the first Korean act to perform at El Paso Sun Bowl Stadium and Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium.

The domestic real economy is also responding immediately. Ahead of the "BTS 2026 Comeback Show @ Seoul" scheduled for March 21, all accommodations near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul are already fully booked. On January 22, the Seoul Metropolitan Government granted permission for the use of Gwanghwamun Square, conditional on enhanced safety management. This is the first time a specific artist will hold a solo concert at this venue.

According to global accommodation platform Hotels.com, the number of travel searches to Seoul from overseas increased by 155% within 48 hours after the tour announcement on January 14, compared to the previous week. For Busan, where a concert is scheduled in June, domestic search volume surged by 3,855%, and international searches by 2,375%. Brazilian transportation sales platform ClickBus reported that searches for bus tickets to Sao Paulo increased more than 600 times following the tour announcement.

International media outlets have also responded. CNN in the United States reported, "BTS, who elevated K-pop to a global cultural phenomenon, have returned." Forbes analyzed that the tour "will set a new standard for Korean artists' world tours as one of the most extensive tours in history." The Guardian in the UK described the tour as "a major event capable of paralyzing the economies of North American cities," predicting an impact surpassing even Taylor Swift's 'Eras Tour.'

Tourism Economics, an economic analysis firm, stated, "The usual economic multiplier effect applied to concerts does not fit BTS," adding, "Their length of stay and spending are so high that it's difficult to even measure the effect." Financial services company Bread Financial projected that local spending of at least $3 would be generated for every $1 spent on concert tickets.

Securities analysts estimate that HYBE's consolidated sales for 2026 will reach 3.7296 trillion won, up 40.9% from the previous year, with operating profit soaring 825.1% to 459.3 billion won. DS Investment & Securities and others expect world tour and merchandise (MD) sales alone to exceed 1.5 trillion won, raising their target stock price to 450,000 won.

The Korea Culture & Tourism Institute analyzed that if BTS holds a concert in Korea, the economic impact per show could reach up to 1.2207 trillion won. The Hyundai Research Institute estimated the annual economic value of BTS's activities at 5.6 trillion won. Academia and market experts believe that the revival of so-called "BTSnomics" could drive domestic consumption and improve the tourism balance, potentially boosting the nation's GDP growth rate by up to 0.5 percentage points in 2026.

BTS will officially resume activities with the release of their fifth full-length album "Arirang" at 1 p.m. on March 20. Starting with the main stadium at Goyang Sports Complex on April 9, they will embark on a world tour spanning 82 shows in 34 cities across Japan, North America, Europe, and more-the largest single tour in K-pop history. Ranked first as the figure who most positively influenced Korea's image in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's "2025 National Image Survey," BTS is once again poised to reshape the global tourism and consumer market landscape.