During BTS's world tour concerts in Busan, small business sales rose 3.6% from a year earlier. Foreign visitor spending also increased 71.7%, the data showed.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 22nd that to examine how global concerts affect local commercial districts and small business sales, it analyzed changes in consumer spending in Busan's major commercial areas centered on the BTS world tour concert "Arirang."
The BTS world tour concert was held in Busan on the 12th–13th of last month. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) looked at sales changes in local commercial districts before and after the concerts, reflecting not only spending on the concert days but also spending tied to visitors' stays in Busan. It compared total sales over four weeks, including the two weeks before and after the concerts (May 30–June 27, 2026), with the same period last year (May 31–June 28, 2025).
An analysis of franchise sales in everyday-life sectors in Busan by Korea Credit Data (KCD) found that during the concert period, sales of small businesses in Busan increased 3.6% year over year. This outpaced the national average growth rate (0.4%) and Seoul's growth rate (0.3%) over the same period.
Sales on the concert days rose 11.1% from a year earlier, the largest increase. The pre-concert spending boost also stood out. Sales increased 4.4% two weeks before and 3.3% one week before, higher than one week after (3.4%) and two weeks after (1.0%).
By sector, convenience stores, which see heavy use by tourists and out-of-towners, rose 6.5%, the highest increase, and beauty and hair services climbed 6.2%. Restaurants also rose 3.6%.
By commercial district, Yeongdo rose 13.7%, the highest increase. Other major districts also posted sales growth rates above the Busan average, including Gukje Market (11.0%), Seomyeon (8.7%), Haeundae (5.0%), and the area near Busan Station (4.2%).
Foreign visitor spending also jumped. Driven by inbound overseas fandom, foreign spending in Busan increased 71.7% from a year earlier, the tally showed.
By sector, foreign visitor sales in lodging surged 148.1%, the biggest gain. That was followed by restaurants (72.3%), convenience stores (71.0%), and beauty and hair services (63.8%).
Looking at foreign visitor spending by commercial district, Yeongdo rose 259.1% and Gwangalli rose 101.3%, with both areas more than doubling from a year earlier.
Lee Byeong-gweon, second vice minister at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), said, "This analysis is a case that proves with data the economic ripple effects that cultural content such as large-scale K-pop concerts have on small businesses and the revitalization of neighborhood commercial districts."