MUMBAI: Music Tourists contribute at least ?864m (GVA) to the UK economy which is equivalent to 19,700 full-time jobs according to ‘Destination Music’the first report by UK Music, which studied the economic contribution of music festivals and major concerts to tourism throughout the UK.
The report states that large-scale live music across all regions of the UK attracts at least 7.7m attendances by domestic and overseas music tourists who collectively spend ?1.4bn during the course of their trip. Although 5% of all music tourists come from overseas, they contribute 18% of total music tourist spending.
From these findings UK Music has issued a list of recommendations to Government – including the implementation of a national live music tourism strategy, with the immediate goal of increasing the number of overseas music tourists.
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Research on Destination Music was undertaken by Bournemouth University’s International Centre for Hospitality and Tourism Research.
UK Music- chief executive Feargal Sharkey said, I am hugely excited by the findings of this research. Its 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. I am optimistic that policy-makers will view this data and acknowledge there is even more we could achieve, especially when it comes to attracting overseas visitors….
Ed Vaizey creative industries minister said, This report demonstrates the world-wide reputation the UK music sector enjoys and the contribution it makes to our economy People are travelling to and within the UK to see our musicians and bands perform while many overseas festivals feature British artists among their headline acts….
Research leader professor Adam Blake said, This is the first time that a comprehensive study of music tourism has ever been undertaken in the UK. The data on where music-goers come from confirms that large numbers of them do travel around the country to go to music events, and significant numbers come from overseas. However, 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 Subsequently, the true value of music to UK tourism will be much higher….
