Concerts are expected to drive tens of thousands of visitors to regional cities and inject millions into the state’s economy
Back in 2020, economists from West Virginia University conducted a study called, “Why Go Home? Pearl Jam’s ‘Home Shows’ & Hotel Demand”, to quantify the impact concerts have on hotel revenue in the Seattle area. The goal of the study was to make a case for concerts as viable economic boosters, as they often draw thousands of attendees from all over the country and in many cases, other parts of the world.
The researchers concluded that two Pearl Jam concerts in August 2018, dubbed the “Home Shows”, helped drive $58 million in additional hotel revenue and $9 million in hotel tax revenue to the seaport city.
Music tourism as a culture is growing and yet it’s often overlooked as a powerful vertical in the larger tourism sector. Coupled with revenge travel and years of no live events, fans are adopting a “why wait?” approach when it comes to seeing their favourite artists perform live.
Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, for example, is one of the most sought-after concerts in the world. It kicked off in Glendale, Arizona this year to a roaring 70,000 Swifties who packed the State Farm Stadium. Glendale even ceremoniously changed its name to Swift City on both concert days.
We travel for entertainment
As recently explained by Fever to WiT, travellers gravitate towards live events when they visit new cities as a way to immerse themselves in the local lifestyle.
Here in Kuala Lumpur, we do get our fair share of concerts by Billboard heavyweights, albeit not as many as we’d like. So, when U2 announced that they were playing Joshua Tree across the pond in Singapore, I knew I had to go see them live. Similarly, I hopped on a plane to Singapore when the Red Hot Chili Peppers brought their sonic prowess to the National Stadium – and I wasn’t the only one.
I know friends and colleagues who have travelled abroad to dance, bop, and headbang to the rhythm of 90s nostalgia.
Last year, Tourism Malaysia senior director (Strategic Planning Division) Syed Yahya Othman said concerts are among the elements to promote Malaysia’s tourism after years of a quiet live-entertainment industry due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Thus, Tourism Malaysia is supporting all concerts, local and foreign, being held here because the artistes will bring along their followers to Malaysia. So far we have four artistes from India.”
‘Anirudh’s Once Upon A Time’ music tour, which was held on Sept 17 last year, received three to four charter flights from India and Singapore.
Is that Viva La Vida in the wind?
Earlier this year, we heard rumblings of Coldplay making their way to Asia for the highly acclaimed Music of the Spheres tour. Launched last year, the Tour has sold over six million tickets across Europe, North America, and Latin America, receiving rave reviews from fans and critics alike, with The Times calling it ‘the greatest live music show ever’.
For reasons that I won’t get into, I was certain Chris Martin and co. wouldn’t make a pitstop on my shore. I started to budget for yet another (expensive) trip to Singapore… or Australia, or Thailand.
Then, Coldplay announced that they were coming to Kuala Lumpur instead of Singapore… and chaos ensued.
Tickets for Coldplay’s Kuala Lumpur gig, which will take place in November at the National Stadium Bukit Jalil, were snatched up in just over three hours.
There was such a feverish demand to see the band that fans started to petition for a second show to no avail. According to ticketing website GoLive Asia, Coldplay’s pre-sale tickets registered the biggest demand in GoLive Asia’s history, with a record-breaking 400,000 fans in the virtual queue, further emphasising the importance of music tourism. Regional fans are expected to visit Kuala Lumpur from Singapore, Thailand, and even parts of India.
The event is such an economic livewire that it prompted the Malaysian government to enact a new legislation to monitor and control activities pertaining to ticket scalpers, following the US and Australian model. For the record, Coldplay tickets were sold in seven categories priced at RM228; RM398; RM498; RM598; RM658; RM758 and RM1,288. Scalpers have since gone online to offer the tickets with deranged markups, some at even five times the original cost.
“We will look at the legal provisions that need to be established in order to curb the issue of ticket scalpers in the future,” Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said in a joint press conference with Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub in Parliament.
A second show and a unified approach
Over in Australia, Coldplay decided to bring Music of the Spheres to a single venue – the Optus Stadium, Perth. Its ticketing website also clocked a record-breaking virtual queue and sold out in hours. Unlike Malaysia though, Perth managed to snag a second show the next day – which also sold out in no time.
When I reached out to Destination Perth and Tourism Western Australia, I was met with an almost celebratory response – “what a great time it is for Perth”. It signaled a unified approach to the significance of music tourism and its role in boosting regional travel.
According to WA’s Deputy Premier, the Hon. Roger Cook, “Attracting interstate and international visitors to an event like this will be a significant economic driver for Western Australia. Coldplay’s Australian-exclusive performances at the award-winning Optus Stadium are proudly supported by the WA Government through Tourism WA and are expected to drive tens of thousands of visitors to Western Australia and inject millions into the state’s economy.”
He added, “This drawcard event is all part of the WA Government’s and Tourism WA’s new major events strategy, to bring incredible events to the state that entice visitors to travel to Western Australia and enjoy all WA – the Dream State – has to offer.”
Coldplay’s concerts will be promoted alongside hotel packages designed to encourage visitors to stay longer and explore further.
The future of a US$ 11.3 billion-dollar industry
According to a report by Future Market Insights, the global music tourism market will be valued at US$ 11.3 Billion by 2032, up from US$ 5.5 Billion last year. The need for traveling with a purpose has risen the music tourism market share. That, coupled with social media and constant uploading, aids in creating hype which increases the demand for music tourism.
The report also outlines that North America is the leading region for music tourism, obviously, while music festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza have expanded the market size for this sector.
The average tourist spends a minimum of $300 on travel and accommodation in the US.
In Asia-Pacific, it’s growing in the music tourism market with South Korea, India, Hong-Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia sporadically hosting music tours, concerts, and events.
As for Coldplay, the frenzy created by fans and to-be concert pilgrims in the region seems to have created a controversial, albeit spectacular, ripple effect – Coldplay will return to Asia in 2024 to play all-new venues, including Singapore, Philippines, and Thailand.
In fact, the band is set to play not one, not two, but an unprecedented four nights in Singapore, prompting fans in Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia who were left ticketless to contemplate packing their bags, booking flight tickets, and travelling abroad… all in the name of music tourism.
