Earlier, Jesus and the disciples tried to go to Bethsaida but did not succeed (6:45). Here, they arrive, and Jesus heals a blind man. Only Mark describes this two-part healing. It might connect to how the disciples came to a new spiritual understanding in the next story (8:27–38).
John 1:44 says Bethsaida is the home of Peter, Andrew, James, and John (see also John 12:21). This small fishing village was officially part of Gaulanitis. But people usually considered it part of Galilee (John 12:21). It was relocated and given status as a city by Philip the Tetrarch (Josephus, Antiquities 18.2.1).