Expedia predicts that Tour Tourism will continue to thrive in 2024. Nearly 70pc of respondents in Expedia’s trends survey say they are more likely to travel to a concert outside their own town, with 40pc saying they would travel for a concert as an excuse to visit a new place.
In a new twist to Tour Tourism perhaps driven by ticket prices, 30pc of travellers say they would travel outside of their home city for a concert because tickets were cheaper elsewhere.
On the week Bruce Springsteen tickets went on sale in Dublin, Irish travel agents were offering 2 or 3-night packages in Prague, Milan, or Madrid for Bruce Springsteen’s 2024 European Tour. Trips to see Springsteen in Dublin was a selling point in the other direction.
Sample packages from Stein Travel, Ireland’s designated travel partner for André Rieu, offer 2 and 3-night packages from both Cork and Dublin for the André Rieu concert at Maastricht’s Vrijthof Square in July 2024 while Andrea Bocelli’s concert at the 19th Teatro del Silenzio in Tuscany on the 17th July is include din a seven-night itinerary through Tuscany to include Florence and Siena.
According to Luminate, an analytics firm, in 2023 consumers spent 91pc more on live music events than the year before and attended 32pc more concerts. Goldman Sachs predicts the market for live music will grow by 5pc this year to reach nearly $40bn annually by 2030
Youngsters, who prefer to spend their money on experiences than on items, consider concerts good value, even when they are pricey.
Unexpected places on Expedia’s list of top tour tourism destinations are Kuala Lumpur, Edmonton, and Mexico City.
