Scroll Reception

The demand for international music events among Indian travelers is not only leading to travel abroad but also boosting the domestic music tourism industry.

Bulbul Dhawan

When Canadian singer Bryan Adams’ Mumbai show was announced in August, tickets were sold out within 24 hours. Two weeks later more than 80% of tickets were sold at most venues; 75,000 total tickets for the six-city tour in December.

This is Adams’ sixth visit to India and his popularity is growing. Social media platforms are filled with comments from fans from other cities who are planning to travel to Mumbai or Gurgaon to see the ‘Summer of 69’ singer. They come from everywhere, be it from Ranchi or the interior parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Artists like Coldplay, Jonas Brothers and Sting have all performed in India. Coldplay is also returning next year.

For Coldplay’s Mumbai shows in January, Indian online travel agency Ixigo witnessed a 350% increase in flight bookings. Skift says hotel rates near DY Patil Stadium increased for concert dates previously reported.

Indian singer Diljit Dosanjh made as much noise as Coldplay. Flight bookings and hotel occupancies increased for his concert in Jaipur last Sunday, according to online travel agency EaseMyTrip. Ixigo said flight bookings for Dosanjh’s show in Chandigarh on December 14 have increased by 300%.

“The passion for live performances is encouraging fans to travel and this increase in flight, train and bus bookings shows how music tourism has become a major force in the country,” said Ixigo group CEO Aloke Bajpai.

Indians also don’t mind traveling abroad if it means seeing performances by their favorite musicians. megastar Taylor Swift She still hasn’t performed in India, but visa processing platform Atlys reported last month that Swift’s Eras Tour alone led to a 20% increase in visa applications in India.

Music Tourists Float

These concerts fuel domestic travel.

Tickets for Lollapalooza India 2025 went live on entertainment platform BookMyShow on Tuesday, September 10, and general admission weekend tickets sold out on Thursday night. The festival features the Indian debut of Green Day and former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson.

“I’m a big fan of Green Day and have booked to see them in South Africa in January next year. But then I found out that they were coming to India for Lollapalooza next year and I canceled it all because that way I would only have to make a trip from Mohali to Mumbai. I wouldn’t mind going all the way to South Africa, but this way I can save some money and still see Green Day,” said Vikas, a 34-year-old fan.

A Louis Tomlinson fan group called “Louies of India”, which is recognized by and is in contact with Tomlinson’s official team and record label in South Asia, has raised funds to help fans who cannot afford to buy tickets on their own. The group told Skift that they estimate more than 1,000 Tomlinson fans traveled to Mumbai to support his India debut.

A. report Online travel aggregator Skyscanner said young Indian travelers start planning their trips as soon as they get a job or get their first salary.

“I’ve been a fan of One Direction and Louis since 2012 and seeing him in India is like a dream come true. If this had happened a few years ago, I probably wouldn’t have been able to go because I was still in college. But now I’m coming from Agra to see him with my own money,” he said last year Shivani Singh, who started working and immediately started saving money so she could travel.

It’s a repeat of the euphoria that took place at British singer Ed Sheeran’s Maths tour concert in March and at the Indian edition of the Lollapalooza music festival in January.

BookMyShow Chief Business – Live Events Owen Roncon told Skift that more than 410,000 people will travel to other cities to attend live entertainment events in 2023. “34% of the total attendees of Lollapalooza 2024 traveled from other Indian cities to be a part of the event,” Roncon said. On Ed Sheeran’s show, the figure was 40%.

Travel players are entering into collaborations to capture this growing segment. Low-cost airline IndiGo partner BookMyShow will offer flight discounts to people traveling outside their home cities to attend Bandland 2024 and Lollapalooza India 2025. Under this offer, participants of the two events will be eligible to avail up to 20% discount on IndiGo flights after completing the transaction. on BookMyShow.

Music Tourism Potential in India

Research The report prepared by market research company Future Markets Insights stated that India has emerged as a major player in the music tourism segment in the Asia Pacific region and is expected to grow faster than China and Japan.

The firm expects music tourism in India to grow at an annual growth rate of 19% between 2024 and 2034. Estimated growth in China is 14.4%; In Japan, this rate is 13.8%. The music tourism market in the US is expected to grow at an annual rate of 5.7% over the next decade.

“India hosts around 25 major music and food festivals every year, attracting around 1.5 million attendees from around the world. “Music tourism has become the norm and this trend reflects the growing interest among youth and travellers, boosting the overall tourism industry in India,” he said.