A new research project carried out by YouGov for Amadeus across four European markets has found that music tourism is expected to drive European traveller demand in 2024.
The report finds some 49% of Spanish have previously traveled to attend a concert or festival (spending at least one night away from home), along with 48% of British, 44% of Germans and 34% of French travellers. Interestingly, German music fans were, however, the most adventurous when it comes to international travel, with 18% headed abroad for a show, compared to 11% of Spanish travellers, 9% of those from Britain and just 7% of French travellers.
When it comes to how much a traveller would spend, British travellers were the most frugal. Some 58% of British music fans who had previously embarked on a trip to see a concert or festival would look to spend less than £300 in the future (not including the cost of the event ticket), compared to just 40% of both French and Spanish travellers, and 39% of Germans. In contrast, 15% of German and 13% of Spanish and French music fans who had previously traveled for a live music event would be willing to spend over €600 to do so again, compared to only 9% of British.
Daniel Batchelor, Vice President, Global Corporate Marketing & Communications at Amadeus said, “A prerequisite to building a better travel experience is understanding the minds of travellers. That is why we promote ‘Traveller First’ thinking throughout the industry. Consumer research shows that this year travellers are on the lookout for new experiences. And what better experience can there be than sharing a music festival or concert with friends, family or like-minded fans? With artists including Taylor Swift and Coldplay performing in 2024, we are seeing strong demand across Europe for travel, both domestic and international with music fans planning to enjoy a range of performances across the continent.”
When it comes to making the most of a trip, Spanish were the keenest to explore the destination when travelling to see a live artist, with 79% planning to do so. This compared to 67% of French travellers, 64% of British travellers and 58% of Germans. Similarly, 43% of all Spanish travellers questioned said they would travel to a musical event with friends, compared to 38% of French travellers, 37% of British and 32% of Germans.
Additionally, Amadeus’ own flight search data provides further evidence of intent to travel around key music events. For Taylor Swift’s Eras tour in 2024, the data shows:
- International searches for trips to Paris, France, for seven or more days coinciding with the dates of the concerts increased by 21%.
- Countries with a noticeable increase in flight searches to Paris coinciding with the Taylor Swift concert dates were Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, and the USA.
- Trips of seven or more days proved most popular with international visitors to Madrid. Flight search volumes for a trip of this duration increased by an average of 23%. While domestic travellers in Spain favoured shorter trips, which rose by 18% over the same period.
- Between the announcement of UK tour dates and the opening of ticket sales, domestic flight searches for various durations covering the concert dates increased by 80%.
Click here to discover more about Amadeus.
