£3.1bn Boost from Music Tourism

A report published by UK Music this month revealed that the amount of so-called ‘music tourists’ in the UK has increased by over a third in the last three years.

According to ‘Wish you Were Here 2015’, 9.5 million people travelled to music concerts and festivals in 2014, helping to generate £3.1 billion for the UK economy. Between 2011-2014, the number of music tourists in the UK increased by 34%, with a 39% increase in overseas tourists travelling to the UK to attend music events, each spending an average of £751.

In addition, the report states that a total of 38,238 full time jobs in 2014 were sustained by music tourism in the UK, a 57% increase from the figure in 2012.

UK Music CEO Jo Dipple said: “The UK’s rich music heritage and infrastructure has made the UK the go-to destination for live music globally and these statistics show how tourism is now a bedrock of British music and the wider economy”.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale added: “It’s fantastic news that our music industry drew in 9.5 million tourists last year but it’s no surprise. British music is legendary around the world and continues to go from strength to strength, with UK artists now accounting for one in seven albums sold worldwide.

Whittingdale continued: “Festivals like Glastonbury hold an iconic status on the world music scene and are one of the reasons why international tourism is booming in the UK, drawing in streams of visitors to all parts of the country. We know our UK creative industries contribute an astonishing £76.9 billion to the UK economy but this report confirms they are truly world-class and a powerful advert for the UK”.

The definition of a domestic ‘tourist’ for the purposes of the report is someone who has travelled more than three times the distance of an average commute within a specific region to attend a gig or festival. The average commuting distance for the UK is 11.8 miles, so you would need to travel 35.5 miles to attend an event in order to be classified as a domestic ‘tourist’.

Find out more and download the report here.