June’s busy calendar of K-pop events as well as the highly-anticipated comeback of boyband BTS, whose final two members have been discharged from military duties this month, have elevated travel demand for South Korea. Booking.com data shows that international searches for Seoul and Busan rose 30 per cent and 50 per cent year-on-year respectively in June.

The OTA noted that Seoul and Busan are at the heart of the cultural wave, with a busy K-pop calendar that lists events such as Busan One Asia Festival (June 11 to 13), J-hope’s encore concerts (June 13 and 14), BTS Festa celebrations (June 13 and 14), and the Seoul Music Awards (June 21).

Busan One Asia Festival, which took place from June 11 to 13 this year, is a major draw for K-pop fans from all over the world; photo from Korea Tourism Organization

The spike in Seoul hotel searches, specifically for June 12 to 15, followed the BTS Festa announcement over the weekend of May 31. Notable search increases came from the Philippines (106 per cent), Germany (108 per cent), and France (64 per cent).

The surge in travel interest in South Korea reflects findings from Booking.com’s Travel Trends 2025 research, which identifies a global trend where 58 per cent of travellers plan on travelling for music events this year.

Kwak Jae Yeon, director, Hallyu Contents Team, Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), told TTG Asia that K-pop continues to be a major draw for international visitors to South Korea, serving as one of the most influential pillars of the Korean Wave, also known as hallyu.

“The timing of large-scale K-pop concerts and festivals often coincides with a sharp rise in foreign arrivals and hotel bookings in host cities,” said Kwak.

According to the 2024 Korea Inbound Visitor Survey, “exposure to hallyu content such as K-pop” ranked as the top reason for interest in visiting the country, cited by 38.3 per cent of respondents – up from 32.1 per cent in 2023.

Hallyu-motivated tourists also reported higher levels of satisfaction and stronger intentions to revisit South Korea compared to the overall average. Their satisfaction score stood at 98.2 (compared with 96.5 for all international tourists), while their willingness to return reached 97 (compared with 92.3 for all international tourists).

As K-pop event are spread across the year, fans have numerous reasons to revisit the country. Major events through the year includes K-pop in Boryeong, which is part of the Boryeong Mud Festival in Chungcheongnam-do, in August; Yeongdong-daero K-pop Concert in Seoul, in September; and the Incheon Airport Sky Festival hosted by Incheon International Airport Corporation in November.

When asked about the travel influence of film events, such as the high-profile Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Kwak said there has been growing K-pop presence through artist appearances in films, original soundtrack contributions, and participation in the opening ceremony.

“As a result, K-pop fan interest and participation in the BIFF has been steadily growing. This trend indicates strong potential for enhanced crossovers and collaboration between various hallyu content areas in the future,” added Kwak.

Nuno Guerreiro, regional director for North & South APAC at Booking.com, is familiar with the power of film festivals. He noted that searches for Bucheon surged 84 per cent year-on-year ahead of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival next month while travel searches to Busan has already risen 69 per cent year-on-year for stays from September 14 to 28 (the event is set for September 17 to 26).

KTO leverages K-pop to influence traveller decisions in several ways. The year-round Ticket to K-Vibe online promotion is conducted on the hallyu-themed Visit Korea: Hallyu with You website, and in collaboration with major K-pop concerts held both in South Korea and other destinations.

The Hallyu K-Pass campaign in November will provide foreign travellers attending K-pop concerts in the country a 50 per cent discount on hallyu experience products, such as beauty and food, through OTA platforms like KKday, NolUniverse, and Creatrip.

Come July, a new K-drama experience exhibition will open at the Cheong Wa Dae Sarangchae, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in iconic scenes and settings from hit South Korean dramas.

OTAs are riding on the hallyu wave by offering package deals that combine concert tickets with accommodation, as well as pilgrimage-style fan tours.

In 2023, Booking.com launched the Ultimate K-pop Experience campaign, offering a pair of lucky fans from across the globe a unique stay in Seoul. The winners enjoyed a two-night stay at the Executive Producer Suite at RYSE, Autograph Collection; accessed front-row seats at live music show, M Countdown; had a private idol makeover by celebrity hair and makeup artists; and picked up autographed albums and personalised recorded content by K-pop sensation Kang Daniel.

Guerreiro said Booking.com also provides hotel partners with research-backed insights and travel trends, such as observations of K-pop impact on travel, to help them “capture demand and boost bookings at their hotels”.