In Brief: Agoda, an online travel platform, has seen a surge in travel searches to locations where popular music group BTS is set to perform, highlighting the impact of entertainment events on travel behavior.
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BTS Concert Destinations Drive Increase in Travel Searches on Agoda – Image Credit Unsplash+
Agoda reported significant increases in accommodation searches for Goyang and Busan in South Korea, as well as several Asia-Pacific cities, following the announcement of BTS’s world tour dates.
On the day BTS announced its world tour, accommodation searches on Agoda for Goyang rose nearly eight times compared to the previous week. BTS is scheduled to begin its tour in Goyang on April 9, with additional concerts on April 11 and 12. Busan, where BTS will perform on June 12 and 13, saw a 47% increase in searches.
International demand for South Korean concert destinations was led by travelers from Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and China. Searches for Goyang and Busan from the Philippines increased by more than sevenfold, while Hong Kong travelers increased their searches by 145%. Searches from China more than doubled compared to the week prior to the announcement.
South Korean travelers also searched for accommodation in other Asia-Pacific cities hosting BTS concerts. Kuala Lumpur recorded a 22% increase in searches, followed by Melbourne with a 16% rise, Bangkok with a 15% rise, Kaohsiung with a 10% rise, and Singapore with a 9% rise.
Accommodation searches for Goyang during the concert dates rose nearly 185 times among travelers from Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong. For the same dates, searches from domestic travelers in South Korea increased nearly 44 times.
