Music tourism on a rise: Behind fans’ decision to combine quick getaway with immersive concert experience
Fans of K-pop, and non-Kpop, artists are paying extra to see their favorite artists while exploring new cultures.
When a global pop star travels to a destination, their presence attracts thousands of audiences, local or overseas.
A trip to another country can be very costly; hence, many international fans decide to combine going to a concert with a quick holiday.
Acknowledging the new trend, a new term called “music tourism,” or, sometimes, “concert tourism,” has been coined to describe the phenomenon.
“Music tourism” explained
In May, a Hong Kong fan named Tiffany Chung traveled with her daughter to Singapore for a BLACKPINK show.
The fan explained, because she could not get any concert tickets in Hong Kong, she wanted to try her luck in Singapore. Her plan to have a vacation did not exist until she successfully obtained tickets for herself and her family.
Apart from going to the “BORN PINK” concert, Chung and her family also visited many famous destinations in Singapore, including Universal Studios, Gardens by the Bay, and Night Safari.
Social media revealed that many people also had the same plan as Chung. Filipino and Malaysian fans also traveled to Singapore to have a chance to meet their favorite idols when they cannot get a ticket for a concert in their home country.
If a fan still can not get a ticket in Singapore, they continue to Thailand and even Australia. They usually spend 4 to 6 days at the concert destination to go sightseeing, shopping, and trying local cuisines.
Asean Daily affirmed that BLACKPINK concerts generated more business opportunities and boosted accommodation and air travel services in a country.
Many countries hosting a BLACKPINK concert witness a rise in accommodation booking, roughly 10 times compared to the week before the concert took place.
The future of “music tourism”
Statistics show that 63% of surveyed people agree with marrying concert-going with a quick vacation, according to a survey in Britain commissioned by Viagogo, a ticket resale site. Similarly, one out of three surveyed people in the U.S. said they were willing to go on a thousand-mile travel to see BTS, revealed travel website Upgraded Points.
The trend also extends to fans of non-Kpop artists. Hong Kong fan Joycie Lai revealed she planned to go to a Taylor Swift concert in Singapore. Because she never traveled to this country, she would also go to some of the country’s top travel destinations.
Omri Morgenshtern, chief executive of online travel platform Agoda, also reported a rise in accommodation booking in Singapore after Taylor Swift announced the destinations for her upcoming tour.
Other booking platforms, such as Klook and Accor, also witnessed the same increase in accommodation booking prior to Taylor Swift’s concert date. Klook reported most foreign travelers were from the Philippines, China, and Indonesia. Travelers mostly opted for four- and five-stage packages. At the same time, Accor reported a rise in booking for accommodation in Australia, leading to a tenfold increase compared to previous year.
Hence, it is safe to say music tourism is becoming a new trend that can offer new experiences for travelers as well as boost local economies.
Source: SCMP
