SINGAPORE, Oct. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Concerts are not only bringing fans to venues but are also increasingly becoming a reason for international travelers to plan a trip to Taiwan. With South Korean boy bands BIGBANG performing in Taipei in October and BTS heading to Kaohsiung in November, digital travel platform Agoda's latest search data shows growing international travel interest to Taiwan during these major K-pop concerts. Accommodation searches from international travelers to Kaohsiung during BTS' concert dates grew 3.6x compared to two weeks prior, while international searches to Taipei during BIGBANG's concert dates increased by 38% compared to two weeks prior, highlighting how concert travel can be a contributor to inbound travel interest to Taiwan.

Kaohsiung steps onto the stage as a world-class concert destination

Kaohsiung has been actively developing its concert economy in recent years — according to the city government, its concert economy has generated an estimated NT$18.9 billion in tourism output since 2023, including 157 concerts and 1.71 million attendees in 2024 alone. Major performances are also generating activity beyond concert venues and extending into accommodation, dining and tourism spending. According to an analysis by Taiwan's National Credit Card Center on concert-related spending in Kaohsiung between 2023 and 2025, international visitors accounted for 3.85% of attendees at concerts by international artists, compared with 2.20% for concerts by local artists. International visitors also spent an average of NT$8,772 per card on accommodation, approximately twice as much as domestic visitors.

It's no surprise that Kaohsiung is now a natural stop for some of the world's biggest tours, including BTS. The Kaohsiung National Stadium is reported to be fully booked for all of 2026, and its metro reached 350,000 riders in a single day during last November's TWICE concerts, according to Mayor Chen Chi-mai, showcasing how well-equipped the city is to handle crowds of this scale. BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' will take place at Kaohsiung National Stadium on November 19, 21 and 22, giving international fans another reason to plan a longer stay in southern Taiwan.

Japanese travelers show the strongest appetite for concert travel to Taiwan

Looking more closely at source markets, Japanese travelers showed the strongest growth in travel interest around both concert dates. Accommodation searches from Japanese travelers to Taipei during the BIGBANG concert dates were over 6x higher than the two weeks prior, while searches to Kaohsiung during the BTS concert dates were even higher at more than 14x, highlighting the appeal of major K-pop performances in Taiwan among travelers from nearby Japan.

Travel interest to Kaohsiung during the BTS concert dates also extended beyond Japan. According to Agoda, the Philippines emerged as the top travelers searching for accommodations in Kaohsiung during the concert dates, with a nearly 3x growth in searches compared to two weeks prior, followed by Japan (14.3x), Singapore (8.4x), Hong Kong (2.2x), and Thailand (1.9x).

For BIGBANG's Taipei concerts, the top five source markets that expressed travel interest were Japan, the Philippines (+19%), Thailand (+89%), South Korea (+30%), and Singapore (+29%). The increase in travel interest from multiple Asian markets suggests a strong opportunity for concerts to not only attract travelers to the event but also encourage international travelers to look beyond Taipei to explore southern Taiwan.

Jishan Chai, Country Director for Taiwan at Agoda, said: "The chance to see your favorite artists in concert is increasingly becoming an important reason for travelers to plan a trip. Our data shows that international fans are looking beyond Taipei, with more international performances taking place in Kaohsiung and generating travel interest from markets including Japan, Singapore and the Philippines. A concert can also be the starting point for exploring a city, giving fans an opportunity to turn their trip into a broader travel experience in Taiwan."

Agoda offers more than 6 million holiday properties, over 130,000 flight routes, and more than 300,000 activities, enabling travelers to conveniently plan accommodation, flights and experiences in one place. Travelers can discover more deals and travel options on the Agoda app or Agoda.com.