BTS wrapped up the South American leg of its “Arirang” world tour after drawing 853,000 concertgoers across 14 sold-out shows in five cities.
The group concluded the leg with three concerts at Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo on Oct. 28, Oct. 30 and 31. The South American tour began in Bogota on Oct. 2 and continued through Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo.
The set list featured tracks from BTS’ fifth LP, “Arirang,” alongside favorites such as “Fake Love,” “Not Today,” “Mic Drop,” “Fire,” “Idol,” “Butter” and “Dynamite.” Along with never-before-seen surprises — a signature segment BTS has added during this "Arirang" tour — the septet sparked buzz for sporting Brazilian soccer uniforms. Members Jin and RM also wore cocar, a traditional, sacred feather headdress worn by the indigenous peoples of Brazil.
“South America was one of the schedules we were looking forward to the most because we don’t get to meet you often,” said J-Hope as BTS wrapped up its final concert in Sao Paulo on Saturday. “We were excited to perform here even before arriving and had so many expectations. As expected, you were all incredible.”
The members added that the experience had left them eager to return in the future.
“Thank you so much for waiting for us (until now). We were all so happy, and the South America tour will remain a really good memory for us,” said Jimin during BTS’ Weverse live on Saturday. “It may sound like a cliche, but it still amazes me how so many people on the other side of the world love us so much, and I’m so grateful. We’ll take this memory with us, prepare well and come back next time.”
The tour also marked BTS’ first full-group concerts in Colombia and Argentina and the group’s first visit to Peru since debut. It also marked BTS’ return to Chile and Brazil after nine and seven years, respectively.
Before the concerts, BTS were named guests of honor in Bogota and Buenos Aires in recognition of their cultural influence and the attention their visits were expected to bring to the cities. In Santiago, a street was temporarily renamed “Avenida BTS,” or “BTS Avenue,” to welcome the group’s return, while landmarks across the city were illuminated in purple, BTS’ signature color.
The concerts also generated measurable effects on tourism, accommodation and transportation in several host cities.
According to a local survey cited by Big Hit Music, in La Plata, where the Buenos Aires-area concerts were held, 96 percent of attendees came from outside the city, and more than 130,000 were visiting La Plata for the first time. More than 48,000 visitors stayed in La Plata for at least one night, with an average stay of 3.5 nights. Excluding ticket costs, spending on accommodation, food, transportation and leisure was estimated at about 53 billion Argentine pesos ($34.5 million).
In Bogota, flight bookings during the concert period increased 46.6 percent from a year earlier. In Lima, ride-hailing demand rose to 15 times the usual level on the first concert day and as much as 48 times the normal level after the show, according to figures cited by the agency.
Accommodation searches in Santiago, meanwhile, increased by about 200 percent from a year earlier.
Following the South American leg, BTS will move on to Asia and Australia, beginning with Kaohsiung in Taiwan on Nov. 19. The group is also scheduled to perform in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Singapore, and Jakarta in Indonesia until Dec. 29 before moving to Melbourne and Sydney in February.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
