The group BTS once again proved their "world-class" stature, turning downtown Seoul into a massive festival.
BTS's urban project "BTS THE CITY ARIRANG SEOUL" (hereafter "The City Seoul") wrapped up a successful roughly month-long run. This project was planned to commemorate the release of the fifth full-length album "Arirang" (ARIRANG) and the start of the world tour, coloring Seoul's major landmarks with BTS's messages and offering a welcome gift to both residents and tourists.
According to the agency, foreign visitors made up as much as 73% of attendees who watched the media facade displayed at the national treasure Sungnyemun during the project period. The participatory space at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), "Army Madang" (ARMY MADANG), exceeded 86% foreign attendance, truly becoming a shrine for the "global army."
The BTS craze also translated into tangible tourism economic activation. The limited-time "Seoul city tour bus with BTS THE CITY" saw passenger numbers surge about 20% compared with usual. Tourists rode the buses wrapped with the new album logo to follow BTS's footprints, visiting HYBE headquarters and Gyeongbokgung, and showed a strong response by keeping specially designed tickets as souvenirs.
In addition to the media facades adorning Sungnyemun and Namsan Seoul Tower, thousands of drones filling the sky over Ttukseom Hangang Park decorated Seoul's nightscape spectacularly. Also, "Love Quarter" installed in the courtyard of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and the "Love Song Lounge" in Yeouido Hangang Park, among other spots across the city, were reborn with BTS's musical sensibility, offering visitors a unique experience.
Tigerbus evaluated, "BTS's influence and the power of musical content met Seoul's tourism activation policies and created a positive synergy," highlighting the successful significance of this project.
The "The City" project that heated up Seoul will now expand to the global stage. It is scheduled to move on to Busan in June after passing through Las Vegas in May to continue that momentum.<
[Photo] HYBE (BigHit Music)
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