K-pop juggernaut BTS’s Arirang World Tour, set to kick off in Asia this November, has drawn an overwhelming response from fans across the region.
Source: @BTS_official on X
For many fans in the Asia Pacific, that excitement has gone beyond securing tickets to shows in their own cities.
Some have also bought tickets to concerts in other countries, whether to catch the septet more than once, make up for not getting tickets back home, or because the tour is not stopping in their country.
Source: @BTS_official on X
In Singapore, BTS’s Arirang World Tour will take place at the National Stadium over four nights on 17, 19, 20, and 22 Dec, with tickets for the shows sold out on Ticketmaster.
However, some overseas fans have shared that rising airfare prices and fully booked accommodations are making it harder for them to attend the Singapore shows.
On Threads, some Filipino fans of the group highlighted the sharp increase in airfare prices to Singapore following the concert ticket sale.
Direct flights from the Philippines reportedly went from around 20,000 pesos (approximately S$420) for economy seats before the ticket sale to more than 30,000 pesos (S$635) just a couple of days later.
The increase is believed to be driven by demand for the concert, as well as the Christmas holiday period.
To save money, some fans are considering flights with layovers in neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam.
Others are opting to fly to Malaysia first before travelling to Singapore by bus.
Some are also looking for people to split hotel bookings with, as more affordable accommodations were quickly snapped up after the concert tickets went on sale.
Translation: I secured tickets for the BTS concert in Singapore but I don’t have the budget to buy flight tickets, my god. Is it possible to get cheap airfare tickets in the first week of August?
Source: Threads
However, others have given up on seeing the septet in Singapore and are now looking to sell their concert tickets due to the higher cost of flights and accommodations.
This has also created a cover for some accounts believed to be scalpers, who appear to be using similar reasons to resell tickets.
The world tour has also led to a surge in travel searches across BTS’s Asia tour destinations, according to travel platform Booking.com.
In a press release seen by MS News, Booking.com revealed that Kaohsiung, Taiwan, recorded the most notable year-on-year increase in accommodation searches on the platform, with a jump of more than 1,000%.
Melbourne, Australia and Jakarta, Indonesia followed with increases of 671% and 624% respectively.
Singapore also saw travel interest double, based on accommodation searches around the group’s sold-out shows.
Source: @BTS_official on X
According to Booking.com, these searches came from countries including Australia, Japan, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Singapore can also expect travellers from Vietnam, India, Thailand, and Malaysia, where fans have been searching for flights and accommodations during the concert period.
BTS last toured Asia as a group in late 2018 to early 2019 for their Love Yourself tour, which included a stop in Singapore.
Also read: At least 14 BTS concert ticket scam cases reported since 1 June, victims lose over S$11K
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Featured image adapted from @BTS_official on X.