City tour buses, Danubi train at 50% off

Any fan who verifies ARMY status gets discount

Welcome kits with vouchers distributed to foreign tourists

Foreign tourists visit the Byeolbada Busan Night Market. [Busan Tourism Organization]
Foreign tourists visit the Byeolbada Busan Night Market. [Busan Tourism Organization]

Busan is launching a large-scale "fair price" promotion targeting more than 100,000 domestic and international fans ahead of BTS's upcoming concert, aiming to offer tangible discounts to tourists and strengthen the city's image as a global tourism destination.

The city of Busan and the Busan Tourism Organization are rolling out the promotion to coincide with "BTS World Tour: Arirang in Busan," which runs June 12 and 13 at Busan Asiad Main Stadium. The promotion runs for four days, from June 11 through June 14.

During the promotion period, the organization will discount admission fees at major tourist facilities — cutting prices for the Busan City Tour Bus and the Taejongdae Danubi train each by 50 percent. Fans can receive the discount on the spot by verifying their ARMY status with a concert ticket, fan club membership screen or official merchandise.

Front of the BTS welcome kit [Busan Tourism Organization]
Front of the BTS welcome kit [Busan Tourism Organization]

Welcome kits will also be distributed to foreign tourists. Each kit includes a 20 percent discount voucher for the Visit Busan Pass BIG3 product, a welcome drink coupon for Port Village at Busan Port Pier 1 — open through June 21 — and a discount voucher for the "Byeolbada Busan Night Market: Early Summer" event at Hwamyeong Ecological Park. The three vouchers will be available at seven locations, including Busan Station, Gimhae Airport and public accommodation facilities. Beyond the vouchers, each kit contains 10 promotional items in total, including a B-POP Tour course guide and Busan tourism souvenirs.

B-POP Tour promotional leaflet [Busan Tourism Organization]
B-POP Tour promotional leaflet [Busan Tourism Organization]

Through the promotion, Busan and the Busan Tourism Organization plan to spread visitors beyond the concert venue to areas including Taejongdae, the Busan Port waterfront and the western Busan district of Buk-gu. The strategy also links up with 235 Visit Busan Pass affiliated businesses to distribute spending across the city.

The city also plans to stabilize the accommodation market and build a positive image of Busan by tying the campaign to a "fair lodging challenge."

"We are making every effort to turn the entire city into a festival — operating welcome centers and a Busan tourism information center during the concert period and running special BTS-themed city tour buses," said Lee Jeong-sil, president of the Busan Tourism Organization. "With BTS kicking off a string of mega K-pop events in June, including the Busan One Asia Festival, we will make sure the world knows Busan as a safe and transparent 'city of K-pop,'" she added.


terry@heraldcorp.com