From Coldplay to Bryan Adams: Concerts Driving India’s Travel Plans

Skift Take

Demand for international music events among Indian travelers is not only leading to outbound travel, but is also boosting the domestic music tourism industry.

Bulbul Dhawan

When Canadian singer Bryan Adams’ Mumbai show was announced in August, it sold out within 24 hours. Two weeks later, over 80% tickets in most venues were sold – a total of 75,000 tickets for the six-city tour in December. 

This is the sixth time Adams is visiting India and his popularity is growing. Social media platforms are filled with comments from fans from other cities who are planning to travel to Mumbai or Gurgaon to see the ‘Summer of ’69’ singer. They’re coming from all over, be it Ranchi or internal parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Artists like Coldplay, Jonas Brothers and Sting have all played in India. Coldplay is also returning next year.

For Coldplay’s Mumbai shows in January, Indian online travel agency Ixigo has witnessed a 350% increase in flight bookings. Hotel prices near the DY Patil Stadium for the dates of the concert have surged, Skift previously reported.

Indian singer Diljit Dosanjh has created as much buzz as Coldplay. For his concert in Jaipur last Sunday, flight bookings and hotel occupancy soared, according to EaseMyTrip, an online travel agency. Ixigo said flight bookings have surged 300% for Dosanjh’s upcoming show in Chandigarh on December 14.

“The passion for live performances is driving fans to travel, and this surge in bookings across flights, trains, and buses shows how music tourism is becoming a major force in the country,” said Aloke Bajpai, group CEO, Ixigo.

Indians are also not shying away from traveling abroad if it means getting to see their favorite musicians perform. Megastar Taylor Swift still hasn’t played a concert in India, but visa processing platform Atlys last month reported that Swift’s Eras Tour alone led to a 20% spike in visa applications in India.

Music Tourists Driving Surge

These concerts are fueling domestic travel. 

Tickets for Lollapalooza India 2025 went live on entertainment platform BookMyShow on Tuesday, September 10, and by Thursday night, general admission weekend passes were sold out. The festival features the India debut of Green Day and former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson.

“I am a big fan of Green Day, and had made bookings to see them in South Africa in January next year. But then I found out that they were coming to India for Lollapalooza next year, and I canceled all of that, because this way, I would only need to make a trip from Mohali to Mumbai. I wouldn’t have minded going all the way to South Africa, but this way, I can save some money and still see Green Day,” said Vikas, a 34-year-old fan.

A Louis Tomlinson fan group called “Louies of India,” which is recognized by and in contact with Tomlinson’s official team and label in South Asia, raised funds to help fans who could not afford to purchase tickets on their own. The group told Skift that by their estimates, over 1,000 fans of Tomlinson are traveling to Mumbai to support his India debut.

A report by online travel aggregator Skyscanner said that young Indian travelers begin planning their travels as soon as they secure a job or get their first paycheck.

“I have been a fan of One Direction and Louis since 2012, and getting to see him in India is a dream come true. If this were a couple of years ago, I probably would not have been able to go, since I was still in college. But now I am traveling from Agra to see him with my own money,” said Shivani Singh, who started working last year and immediately began saving up to be able to travel.

This is a repeat of the enthusiasm that surrounded British singer Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics tour concert in March, and the Indian edition of Lollapalooza music festival in January. 

Owen Roncon, Chief of Business – Live Events, BookMyShow, told Skift that in 2023, over 410,000 people traveled to other cities to attend live entertainment events. “Out of the total attendees of Lollapalooza 2024, 34% traveled from other Indian cities to be a part of the event,” Roncon said. For Ed Sheeran’s show, this figure was 40%.

Travel players are entering into collaborations to capture this growing segment. Low-cost airline IndiGo partnered with BookMyShow to offer flight discounts to people traveling outside their home cities to attend Bandland 2024 and Lollapalooza India 2025. As part of this campaign, attendees of the two events are eligible for a discount of up to 20% on IndiGo flights after completing the transaction on BookMyShow.

Music Tourism Potential in India

Research by market research firm Future Markets Insights said that in the Asia Pacific region, India is emerging as a key player in the music tourism segment, expected to grow faster than China and Japan. 

The firm expects music tourism in India to grow at an annual growth rate of 19% between 2024 and 2034. Estimated growth in China is 14.4%; it’s 13.8% in Japan. The music tourism market in the U.S. is likely to grow annually at 5.7% during the decade.

“India hosts around 25 top music and food festivals annually, drawing about 1.5 million attendees from around the world. Music tourism has become a norm and this trend reflects a growing indulgence among young people and travelers, boosting the overall tourism industry in India,” the firm said.