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Expanding the Map: K-Pop World Tours being too selective in which countries to visit

AKP STAFF
Posted by ean1994 Monday, June 17, 2024

When groups announce world tours, fans experience a mix of exhilaration and anxiety—thrilled at the prospect of seeing their favorite artists live, yet anxious about whether their city will be included in the tour stops.

With a growing number of K-Pop artists announcing tours, the pattern of tour stops frequently leads to fan disappointment. In North America, major cities like Los Angeles and New York are almost always included, while in Asia, Japan frequently makes the list. This predictable selection sparks a critical question: Can these tours truly be labeled as "world" tours if they consistently overlook a vast majority of cities and limit themselves to a select few? The excitement of a global tour diminishes when it appears only a handful of favored locations are chosen, leaving countless fans around the world hoping for a broader reach.

K-Pop groups seldom tour Europe, appearing more frequently for Fashion Week or brand events. In North America, Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver are inconsistently included in tour schedules.

Even within the United States, the distribution of K-Pop events is heavily skewed toward a few major cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, and Chicago. This focus neglects numerous other metropolitan areas like the Bay Area/San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Boston, and Phoenix, all of which have substantial K-Pop fanbases eagerly awaiting their chance to participate in these cultural celebrations. While fans in cities like Los Angeles and New York enjoy frequent tour stops, those in less favored cities feel a growing sense of neglect. This uneven distribution not only frustrates devoted fans but also represents a missed opportunity for artists to expand their reach and connect with enthusiastic audiences across the entire country.

Similarly, although states like Texas and Georgia frequently host K-Pop shows, visits to other southern states like Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina are rare.

Moreover, the geographical coverage of K-Pop tours reveals significant gaps, with entire continents like South America, Africa, and regions such as India frequently overlooked. Even Australia, despite its vibrant fan community, finds itself included only sporadically. This selective approach to tour locations not only disappoints fans in these areas but also limits the global impact and cultural exchange that K-Pop could foster. Expanding tours to include these underrepresented regions could not only satisfy a broader fan base but also enrich the global K-Pop community by embracing diverse cultural interactions.

While some argue that adding more tour stops could overextend the idols, and entertainment companies prioritize profitable markets, the reality of K-Pop's global popularity suggests a need for more expansive tour planning. Despite groundbreaking tours by groups like BTS and TWICE, many other groups have yet to embrace such extensive global outreach.

Ultimately, fans across the globe would be profoundly gratified by a world tour that genuinely encompasses a wide array of cities and countries, rather than concentrating on a select few urban centers. Such expansive tours would not only fulfill the hopes of countless fans eager to experience live performances but also truly honor the "world" in world tour, demonstrating a commitment to reaching diverse audiences wherever they may be.

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notyoume
notyoume4,800 pts Monday, June 17, 2024 9
Monday, June 17, 2024

Its no worse than Americans using the word "world" in their "world series" baseball matches 🤣
Does the author want these idols to kill themselves through pure exhaustion, trying to reach as many places as possible. They become worn out, performing in the amount of cities they do already.
I'm from Western Australia, whilst some groups come to Australia, we accept that if we want to see them, in most cases, we will have to travel to the other side of the country to do so. For the complaint about them not visiting smaller US states/cities, get over it, save up and get off your fat asses and travel like the rest of us have to do. Also Australia is a bloody long way away from most places, we are extremely grateful for any acts that make the long, arduous journey to get here but understand that there are a huge amount of logistics and expenses involved for any artist coming here and its not always possible.
There are many countries whose governments are not accepting of Kpop acts, so are unlikely to give permission for them to tour, no matter the number of fans requesting them to do so.
Kpop groups and their crews are made up of human beings, there is a limit to what they can be expected to do. Another factor is expense, some companies just cannot afford to send their groups on far reaching tours.
This article is so ignorant and stupid.

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BakaKaori
BakaKaori1,911 pts Monday, June 17, 2024 8
Monday, June 17, 2024

Companies are going to book shows where they can get a large audience and make the most money. That's why it's always going to be major cities. They wouldn't make enough money by visiting some small city that's difficult to travel to (no major airport leading to multiple connecting flights or long drives) and may not even have the proper venue for a concert.

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