BTS Is Bringing More Tourists To Seoul Than Ever Before
BTS has been bringing people from all over the world to the sleepy corners and far off locations of Seoul.
Since BTS topped the Billboard charts, one little restaurant called Yujeong in Nonhyeon–dong has seen a major increase in customers. The restaurant used to be a favorite hangout of the boys when they were trainees and thanks to that, more foreigners travel to eat there.
“We had a huge increase in foreign customers since BTS topped the Billboard chart. They look for seats where the boys used to sit, and they sing in unison even when they are having lunch when a BTS song comes on.” — Kang Seon Ja, owner of Yujeong
It isn’t just this restaurant that has been affected by the K-Pop group. A wine bar and restaurant located in Apgujeong-dong called Rabat is another hot spot thanks to BTS. Many fans will make the journey to Rabat during their stay.
Other famous idols have also been spotted at Rabat including Suzy!
Places like Laundry Pizza, &Gather, and the BT21 store in Itaewon are also stops for many fans.
Laundry Pizza was a spot where the group took photos for their Love Yourself: Her album and &Gather was a featured on an episode of BTS Run.
But the draw to Seoul for many people hasn’t just been because of the Billboard charts or photoshoot locations, the group has also pulled people to the area because of their partnership with Visit Seoul.
The locations filmed in their video have also seen a big increase in tourism. For instance, one of the places featured in the video, Seoulla7017, has recorded 10 million visitors since opening in May 2017!
The increase in tourism has encouraged some tour group agencies to offer BTS tours. Stops include those mentioned above as well as others like Namsan Tower, CJ The Kitchen, and Banpo Bridge.
Namsam Tower and Banpo Bridge were both featured in the group’s Visit Seoul video while the boys showed off their cooking skills at CJ The Kitchen on an episode of BTS Run.
In fact, the group has had such an impact on tourism that the Gangneung City Government just put in a replica BTS bus stop on Jumunjin beach!
While there are currently no official numbers detailing how many tourists BTS are pulling in, the sleepy places of Seoul that have a connection to the group certainly feel the effects and aren’t so sleepy anymore!
