[Provided by Sokcho City]
[Provided by Sokcho City]

Sokcho Mayor Lee Byeong-seon said Monday that Waterbomb's four consecutive years in Sokcho — and the large number of visitors who stayed in the city after the show — demonstrate the potential of major concerts to drive extended-stay tourism.

"Waterbomb Sokcho 2026" drew out-of-town visitors and generated tourism demand that lingered well beyond the performance itself. Big data analysis confirmed an influx of non-local visitors, longer average stays and a rise in late-night spending, validating the potential of large music festivals to fuel nighttime tourism and boost local commerce as a form of stay-based tourism.

Held Aug. 22 at the outdoor site of Hanwha Resort Seorak Sorrano, this year's Waterbomb marked the fourth consecutive edition in Sokcho. The summer festival combines live music with water play, and the city has worked to improve visitor safety and convenience while channeling festival-goers toward the local commercial district.

In a mobile big data analysis conducted jointly with Korea University's Digital Innovation Research Center, Sokcho City found that 23,981 people visited the analyzed area on the day of the event. Of those, 20,422 — or 85.2 percent — were non-local visitors. Among non-locals, residents of the Greater Seoul metropolitan area accounted for 74.6 percent, led by Gyeonggi Province at 37.1 percent and Seoul at 31.9 percent. Visitors in their 20s through 40s made up the largest age group.

The most notable finding was how long visitors stayed after the show. An analysis of movement patterns two hours after the event ended found that 61.4 percent of non-local visitors remained in Sokcho. The neighborhoods of Nohak-dong, Yeongrang-dong and Geumho-dong were identified as the main areas where visitors lingered or moved through — a sign that concertgoers can be channeled into overnight stays, restaurant visits and nighttime sightseeing.

Average time spent in the area also rose during the event week compared with the week before. Non-local visitors' average stay increased from 1.3 hours to 1.6 hours, while locals went from 0.9 hours to 1.3 hours and foreign visitors from 1.5 hours to 1.9 hours — longer dwell times across all visitor categories.

On the economic side, sales in the analyzed commercial district reached about 6.49 billion won on the day of the event. Revenue between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. rose 3.9 percent compared with reference periods before and after the event. The late-night sales increase — despite an overall slowdown in consumer spending at the tail end of the summer holiday season — indicates that post-concert visitors translated their extended stays into nighttime spending.

Sokcho City worked from the planning stage to connect the large-scale concert with the local commercial district. At an inter-agency preparedness meeting on Aug. 10, officials reviewed heat-wave response measures, traffic congestion, evacuation routes, food hygiene and price-gouging prevention. The city also compiled information on restaurants planning to stay open late on the night of the event and prepared to distribute it through official online channels, so visitors could easily find dining options after the show.

Building on the analysis, Sokcho plans to strengthen links between concerts, transportation, accommodation and tourism to better serve the 20-to-40 age group that makes up its core visitor base. The city's vision is to turn a single day's concert into a full Sokcho travel experience — one where visitors who come for the music also explore local food and attractions. It also plans to invest in creating safer and more convenient conditions for concertgoers.


fob140@heraldcorp.com