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Road trips for gig trips: New app can curate music travel itineraries for fans
Music tourism has become one of travel’s hottest trends and now a US-based app is aiming for similar chart-topping popularity.
Like sport, food, and fitness, music has quickly shifted from being a niche segment of the tourism industry to become one of the most popular reasons for why people travel around the world.
Emerging as a key travel trend in recent years, so-called “gig-tripping” is on the rise, thanks to a growing number of international festivals and the huge success of world tours from the likes of Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Beyoncé and Oasis.
These days, music fans don’t just want to book a ticket to watch their favourite acts in their home towns or countries. They are ready to pack their bags (and/or guitar), plug in their earphones, choose the playlist, and then hit the road for an international tour of their own.
According to data from Skyscanner, around 60% of travellers would consider going abroad for a concert or festival, while more than half of Gen Z and millennials are planning music-related trips.
The wider music tourism market is also booming, with Forbes calling it “one of the biggest travel trends” and industry estimates suggesting it could grow from around $100 billion in 2025 to more than $400 billion by 2032.
Music tourism “isn’t just a cultural trend”, it’s an “economic force”, wrote Justin Reid, Senior Director of Global Partnerships Solutions of Tripadvisor in
