Concerts, Sports, and the Rise of Experience-Led Travel

This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner.

Live experiences are driving record demand for travel across the world, with the global market for live travel valued at $2.9 trillion as of 2025. Data from Trip.com Group’s Momentum 2025 report shows that 63% of travelers across Asia have crossed borders to see their favorite artists. It’s clear that fans are no longer waiting for performances or teams to come to them — they’re crossing borders to be part of the moment. Stadiums, arenas, and festivals are turning into focal points for trip planning, as travelers engage with culture through shared experiences.

“Entertainment and sports are such powerful motivators because they create shared, emotional experiences,” said Edison Chen, vice president at Trip.com Group. “Attending one’s favorite artist’s concert or watching a championship game builds a sense of community and connection unparalleled by most other pursuits.”

What the Data Reveals

In addition to the Momentum 2025 report, Trip.com Group recently launched its Why Travel report in partnership with Google to explore the changing motivations behind global tourism. Together, the findings show how deeply this shift toward experience-led travel has taken hold.

For example, concert tourism remains a dominant trend in the Asia Pacific, with nearly two-thirds of respondents having planned vacations around concerts at least once. Google data shows this pattern extending globally, with Las Vegas, Singapore, Macau, and Melbourne emerging as leading “stagecation” hubs. The appeal cuts across age groups: 85% of Thai travelers and 66% of Malaysians report combining concerts or festivals with family vacations.

The momentum is equally strong in sports tourism, where global search interest in endurance events has surged fivefold over the past year. Competitions such as Hyrox are drawing participants and fans to cities like Hong Kong, Barcelona, Manchester, Dubai, and Milan. 90% of respondents said they wanted to pair sporting events with cultural exploration, with football, basketball, and Formula 1 being the top travel drivers.

According to Chen, this pattern reflects a reversal in traditional trip planning. “People are increasingly choosing destinations based on the cultural or entertainment events they can experience. The experience now comes before the destination itself,” he said.

Integrating Travel and Live Experiences

One of the ways Trip.com Group is responding to this shift is by connecting travel directly with live entertainment. The company just announced a multi-year partnership with Live Nation to bring this strategy to life. The collaboration allows fans in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, and Mainland China to plan concert-focused trips that combine exclusive presale access to Live Nation shows with flights, hotels, and curated local experiences, all through Trip.com Group’s platforms.

“We want to provide not just travel options but full, holistic experiences,” said Chen. “This partnership reflects our vision to curate a lifestyle around travel, where people can visit their dream destinations and enjoy world-class entertainment at the same time.”

Through curated bundles, travelers can purchase concert tickets, stays at selected hotels, and entry to nearby attractions, such as Hong Kong Disneyland. This will remove friction from the travel process while elevating the overall experience for fans.

The Economic Power of Live Events

Entertainment and sports tourism have become powerful engines of growth for destinations and tourism boards. With events comes the opportunity to attract international visitors who might not have visited otherwise. They drive an influx of spending on hotels, restaurants, transportation, and retail, which strengthens local economies and sustains year-round demand.

The numbers can be substantial. For example, the exclusive Taylor Swift concerts in Singapore are estimated to have added $230 to $300 million (S$300 to S$400 million) to the country’s GDP. Singapore’s Formula 1 Grand Prix has also become a global draw, combining racing with music and nightlife to extend visitor stays. Seoul’s K-pop industry has established the city as an international destination for music fans, while Bangkok is emerging as a major live music hub, with the Thai government and Tourism Authority of Thailand working with Tomorrowland to bring the global electronic music festival to Asia in 2026.

Sports tourism, meanwhile, is projected to reach $2.1 trillion globally by 2030 and already accounts for 10% of total global tourism spending. Major events such as the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, and Super Bowl show how global attention can be converted into economic and cultural value for host cities.

“The key lesson is consistency,” said Chen. “Cities that build year-round event calendars maintain steady visitor interest and reduce their reliance on traditional peak seasons. They also benefit from strong public-private collaboration, so travelers have a seamless experience from event booking to accommodation.”

The Future of Experience-Led Travel

Looking ahead, the global appetite for experience-led travel is likely to deepen. The boundaries between tourism, entertainment, and lifestyle are becoming increasingly fluid as travelers place greater value on culture and self-expression. As this trend grows, AI will continue to reshape the relationship between travelers, destinations, and experiences, creating a more responsive and personalized world of travel. AI-driven tools will personalize recommendations, surface hidden gems, and build itineraries that speak directly to individual interests long before a booking is made.

Chen sees this as a defining opportunity for the industry. “In the next five to 10 years, travelers will define their journeys by the experiences they seek,” he said. “As social media continues to diversify, it will guide people toward events, local experiences, and cultural moments that match their personal interests. Over time, destinations will evolve into dynamic hubs of culture and connection.”

The future of travel, then, will belong to those who can turn curiosity into connection. It will be less about geography and more about the desire to participate in culture, share in collective moments, and find meaning through movement. 

For Trip.com Group, the goal is to stay at the forefront of this transformation. “We will be shaping the future of travel by making the consumer’s travel journey more experiential and memorable, while connecting to their unique lifestyle needs.”

To learn more about how Trip.com is leading the way in experience-led travel, visit Trip.com.

This content was created collaboratively by Trip.com and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.