Take Skift

The demand for international music events among Indian travelers is not only driving overseas trips but is also boosting the domestic music tourism industry.

Bulbul Dhawan

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

This is Adams’ sixth time visiting India and his popularity is growing. Social media platforms are abuzz with comments from out-of-town fans planning to travel to Mumbai or Gurgaon to see the ‘Summer of ’69’ singer. They come from all over, be it Ranchi or internal parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Artists such as Coldplay, Jonas Brothers and Sting have performed in India. Coldplay will also return next year.

For Coldplay’s shows in Mumbai in January, Indian online travel agency Ixigo has witnessed a 350% increase in flight bookings. Hotel prices near DY Patil stadium for concert dates have increased, Skift previously reported.

Indian singer Diljit Dosanjh has generated as much buzz as Coldplay. For his concert in Jaipur last Sunday, flight bookings and hotel occupancy skyrocketed, according to EaseMyTrip, an online travel agency. Ixigo said flight bookings have increased by 300% for Dosanjh’s upcoming show in Chandigarh on December 14.

“The passion for live performances is driving fans to travel, and this increase in bookings on flights, trains and buses shows how music tourism is becoming a major force in the country,” said Aloke Bajpai, director executive of the Ixigo group.

Indians also don’t shy away from traveling abroad if it means seeing their favorite musicians perform. megastar Taylor Swift She has yet to play a concert 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 lead a surge

These concerts are boosting domestic travel.

Tickets for Lollapalooza India 2025 were launched on entertainment platform BookMyShow on Tuesday, September 10, and general admission weekend passes were sold out by 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 had made reservations 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 all that, because this way I would only need to make one trip from Mohali to Mumbai. I wouldn’t have minded 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 group of Louis Tomlinson fans called “Louies of India”, recognized and in contact with Tomlinson’s official team and label in South Asia, raised funds to help fans who could not afford to buy tickets on their own. The group told Skift that they estimate more than 1,000 Tomlinson fans will travel to Mumbai to support his Indian debut.

TO report According to online travel aggregator Skyscanner, young Indian travelers start planning their trips as soon as they get a job or receive their first paycheck.

“I have been a fan of One Direction and Louis since 2012, and seeing it in India is a dream come true. If this had been a couple of years ago, I probably wouldn’t have been able to go, since I was still in college. But now I travel from Agra to see it with my own money,” said Shivani Singh, who started working last year and immediately started saving to be able to travel.

This is a repeat of the excitement that surrounded British singer Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics tour concert in March and the Indian edition of the Lollapalooza music festival in January.

Owen Roncon, head of BookMyShow’s live events business, told Skift that in 2023, more than 410,000 people traveled to other cities to attend live entertainment events. “Of the total attendees at Lollapalooza 2024, 34% traveled from other cities in India to be part of the event,” said Roncón. For Ed Sheeran’s show, this figure was 40%.

Travel players are collaborating to capture this growing segment. IndiGo low-cost airline associated with BookMyShow to offer discounts on flights to people traveling outside their home cities to attend Bandland 2024 and Lollapalooza India 2025. As part of this campaign, attendees of the two events are eligible for a discount of up to 20% on IndiGo flights after completing the transaction. on BookMyShow.

Potential of music tourism in India

Investigation According to market research firm Future Markets Insights, in the Asia Pacific region, India is emerging as a key player in the music tourism segment, 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. The estimated growth in China is 14.4%; It is 13.8% in Japan. The music tourism market in the United States is likely to grow 5.7% annually over the decade.

“India annually hosts around 25 world-class music and food festivals, attracting around 1.5 million attendees from around the world. “Music tourism has become a norm and this trend reflects a growing indulgence among youth and travelers, boosting the overall tourism industry in India,” the firm said.