Why Live Music Has Become a Serious Travel Business in India
Photo Credit: Image: Ed Sheeran's concert at Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai on March 16, 2024. Ed Sheeran / Mark Surridge
Skift Take
Young travelers are defining India's travel journey, and they are going wherever the music takes them.
Over the past year, live music has been becoming a key travel driver for young Indians, and this trend is expected to continue. New insights from Airbnb have revealed that concerts and festivals are reshaping how India’s Gen Z plans trips, discovers destinations, and spends money amid a broader shift toward experience-driven travel.
According to Airbnb’s Experience-Led Travel Insights released Tuesday, 62% of Gen Z in India plan to travel for concerts and music festivals this year. For many, travel planning begins the moment an event is announced, with 36% saying they start organizing trips as soon as they hear about a concert or festival. This marks a departure from traditional travel driven by holidays or long weekends, and points to music replacing vacation days as the key motivator.
Music-led travel is also leading to destination discovery. Over 75% of respondents said they visited a city for the first time because of a concert or festival, highlighting
