BTS concert draws foreign tourists to Busan, boosting hotel and department store sales

"Of the 20 fares I pick up in a day in Busan, 17 are foreigners." — a local taxi driver

Foreign tourist arrivals in Busan have risen about 40 percent, driving a sharp increase in sales to overseas visitors at the city's retail and hotel businesses.

Foreign tourist arrivals in Busan reached 1,936,572 in the January–May period this year, up 40 percent from a year earlier, according to the city government Friday. That outpaced the national average increase of 21 percent.

Foreign tourist spending in Busan totaled 132.2 billion won ($88.8 million) in May alone, the second highest in the country after Seoul. Foreign sales at major Busan department stores in the first half surged across the board: Shinsegae Department Store's Centum City branch was up 230 percent, Lotte Department Store's Busan main branch up 150 percent and Lotte Mall Dongbusan up 170 percent.

At Lotte Department Store's Busan main branch and Lotte Mall Dongbusan, foreign sales in June — when BTS held concerts in the city — jumped 220 to 250 percent compared with June of last year. A Lotte Department Store official said the results reflected "differentiated marketing leveraging K-culture to capture the attention of foreign tourists who came to Busan for the global concert."

The share of foreign sales in overall revenue is also growing. At Lotte Department Store's Busan main branch and Lotte Mall Dongbusan, foreign sales accounted for about 3 percent of total revenue in 2024 but climbed to around 10 percent in the first half of this year. Shinsegae Department Store's Centum City branch is also approaching a 10 percent foreign sales share in the first half. At the store's Spaland facility, foreign visitors accounted for nearly 50 percent of all customers.

Hotel revenue also rose sharply. Foreign sales in the first half were up compared with the same period last year: Signiel Busan by 70 percent, Park Hyatt Busan by 38 percent and Lotte Hotel Busan by about 32 percent.

"Growth from Japan and Taiwan was particularly notable, and the number of English-speaking customers, especially from the United States, also increased significantly," a hotel industry official said. "Foreign bookings surged in June in particular, when various events including BTS concerts were held."

Retailers have rolled out marketing campaigns tailored to foreign visitors. Lotte Mall Dongbusan has placed exclusive benefit coupons for foreign customers at more than 120 hotels and resorts across the Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongju region, and is giving away Gijang seaweed — a local specialty — to visiting customers. Shinsegae Department Store's Centum City branch is hosting "K-Heritage Shinsegae," a cultural project promoting the beauty of traditional Korean culture at home and abroad, through July 30.