Wish you were here : music tourism’s contribution to the UK economy

UK Music [2]

UK Music have identified that 6.5 million music loving tourists attended a festival or gig, generating £2.2 billion spending in the process.

The study reveals that tourists at live music events not only add billions to the UK economy but offer astounding regional tourism benefits, motivating Britain-wide travel. Music tourism provides a massive boost to the UK’s nations, regions and local economies, including at least 24,000 jobs each year.

The ‘Wish You Were Here’ report demonstrates the incredible pulling power of live music and its potential to fuel tourism throughout the country. The report was launched with VisitBritain whose ambition is to attract a total of 40 million overseas visitors by 2020, which music tourism will look to contribute more to over the coming years.

‘Wish You Were Here’  reveals:

• Direct spend by music tourists – buying tickets, paying for transport and accommodation – was worth £1.3 billion
• Further indirect music tourism spend – additional spending along the supply chain generated by music tourists - adds a further £914m, making a total spend of £2.2bn
• The average live music audience is comprised of 41% music tourists
• Music tourists from overseas spend, on average, £910 while attending festivals and £602 while attending concerts (average tourist spend is £657)
• Domestic music tourists spend, on average, £396 while attending festivals and £87 while attending concerts
• Overseas tourists account for 6% of music tourism visits but a huge 20% of music tourism spend
• London attracts 28% of all music tourists to the UK, with 1.8m visiting the capital

In addition to calling for an overarching strategy to encourage more music fans from overseas, ‘Wish You Were Here’ also suggests towns and cities should promote themselves by making more of their musical heritage – as Liverpool already does with The Beatles.

PDF    Wish you were here : music tourism’s contribution to the UK economy [3]

Font: UK Music [4]