Music gives major boost to tourism

Large-scale live music events across the UK attract at least 7.7 million attendances a year by domestic and overseas music tourists, according to new research by UK Music into the economic contribution of music festivals and major concerts to tourism. Between them, tourists spend £1.4bn during their trips and make a contribution to the economy equivalent to 19,700 full-time jobs. Bournemouth University’s International Centre for Hospitality and Tourism Research, which conducted the study, found that although only 5% of all music tourists come from overseas, they contribute 18% of total music tourist spending. Research leader Professor Adam Blake said: “…it is important to note that our definition of a music tourist is hugely conservative, and that we did not analyse the vast numbers of non-ticketed or smaller capacity events… the true value of music to UK tourism will be much higher.” UK Music has issued a list of recommendations to Government – including the implementation of a national live music tourism strategy, with the goal of increasing the number of overseas music tourists. The Government’s current Tourism Strategy ranks the UK as fourth in the world for being an “interesting and exciting place for contemporary culture such as music, films, art and literature”. Feargal Sharkey, Chief Executive of UK Music, said: “[The] message is crystal clear: music provides a huge boost to UK tourism, it drives growth, it sustains thousands of jobs across all regions and it enhances our lives… The rest of the world clearly recognises the importance of music to the UK. It is time we did similar.”