BTS Comeback Tour Announcement Sparks Travel Mania Worldwide

Korean pop group BTS has confirmed a global tour scheduled for 2026–27, and the reaction from its fan base was instant. The announcement quickly drove a surge in online searches for destinations linked to the tour, signaling a powerful ripple effect on future travel demand.

The tour will run from April 2026 through March 2027, beginning in Goyang, South Korea, and will include nearly 80 performances across 34 cities on five continents.

Tour announcement triggers immediate travel demand

Following the news, Booking.com recorded a sharp rise in destination searches tied directly to tour stops. Searches for Goyang jumped by 968 percent year-on-year, highlighting the scale of interest driven by the opening shows.

Other destinations across Asia also saw dramatic increases, with Busan more than doubling in search activity and Kaohsiung in Taiwan posting a massive 6,700 percent rise ahead of its scheduled concert date.

The impact was not limited to Asia. Cities outside the region that are included in the tour itinerary also experienced strong growth in interest. Arlington in the US recorded more than a 2,500 percent increase in searches, while São Paulo saw nearly a 193 percent rise, and Bogotá’s search volumes increased by almost 48 percent.

Live entertainment increasingly drives tourism patterns

The immediate response seen in travel search data reinforces the growing role of major cultural events as drivers of tourism. BTS’s return to the stage is shaping up to be one of the clearest modern examples of how live entertainment can influence where and when people travel.

Booking.com noted that the surge in activity shows the tour has evolved beyond a music event and into a global travel phenomenon.

This trend presents meaningful opportunities for airlines, hospitality, and local tourism businesses. Tour stops often align with established travel hubs, encouraging fans to stay longer or plan multi-city trips that combine concerts with sightseeing and leisure travel.

Lessons from previous tours

A similar pattern was seen during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which generated widespread travel demand and showed how events can become the starting point for trip planning. Mark McLaughlin, CEO of Dublin-based ticketing company Coras, has said that the tour highlighted the powerful connection between live events and travel decisions.

Recognizing this opportunity and new way of travel discovery, Trip.com partnered with Coras in November 2025 to allow users to purchase tickets for concerts and performances directly through the Trip.com platform.

Photo by Alex Ko on Unsplash