Concert tourism became a major buzzword throughout Asia in 2025 thanks to a number of global celebrities putting regional capitals on their world tour maps.
With acts like Coldplay, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift booking gigs in major Asian cities, avid fans from throughout the globe are booking flights and accommodations all for even the barest glimpse of their idols and be a part in their own small way of music history.
That surging wave of interest has proven profitable for the regional travel and hospitality sectors, given how Grand View Research sees Asian concert tourism growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.8 percent till 2030.
While the total revenues for 2025 have yet to be tallied, the regional industry generated revenues totalling over US$19.9 billion at the end of 2024.
Subsequently, concert tourism in Asia stands to be worth a staggering US$85.8 billion by 2033; this is achievable as early as now given how global supergroups like BTS and regional acts like Blackpink and BINI have announced tour dates and venues running well into 2027.
But why is Asia becoming a magnet for global concert tourism, and will the region be able to sustain the momentum?
That’s what we’re going to dive into in today’s Travel Daily Media report.
Concert tourism’s roots in history and societal development
If we go by history, concerts and music festivals as a draw for tourists are actually ancient history for Asia.
As far back as 1046BC, court musicians, especially those with a penchant for composition, performed for nobles and commons alike at public demonstrations of their art.
The opening of global trade routes also meant that musicians who were inclined to travel could bring the act of performance to other nations as a way of sharing their art with the world.
Fast forward to more contemporary times, we can date this surge in the popularity of concert tourism to around 2023, just as the world began reopening its doors post-pandemic.
Concert tourism in this context may have well been spurred on by the concept of revenge tourism people making up for the three years they were housebound and grounded by following their favourite singers and bands anywhere in the world.
Strategic partnerships for maximum impact
Sustained momentum for concert tourism in Asia has been driven by partnerships established between online travel agencies and both regional and global concert promoters and event management companies.
Consider the partnership between promoter Live Nation Asia and Trip.com: this tie-up gives fans the opportunity to snag tickets well before the actual date of public sale, along with reasonable rates for flights, hotel stays, and even attractions if they choose to roam around the destination prior to or after the concert.
At the same time, if somewhat controversial, national governments and their respective tourism boards are actively courting individual acts to get them to perform in their countries.
One good example for this is Thailand: it may be recalled that the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) designated 2025 as the Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year, a development that led to major events like Tomorrowland in the country, thus boosting tourist arrival numbers, online searches, and bookings
Indeed, global K-pop girl-group Blackpink’s two-night DEADLINE World Tour stop in Bangkok in October led to a 130 percent surge in online searches for accommodations, driven mostly by Thai-born member Lalisa “LISA” Manobal.
It will also be recalled that Singapore raised eyebrows among its peers in ASEAN for bagging the biggest plum of all in the concern scene: the exclusive right to host the only Asian leg of pop star Taylor Swift’s ERAS World Tour.
While it may have ruffled feathers throughout Southeast Asia, this strategic move on the part of the Singaporean government proved to be a boon for the country's tourism, netting over US$450 million in hospitality and tourism revenue as of 2nd December 2025.
As a result, countries like Indonesia and the Philippines are scrambling to get a piece of the proverbial pie, and this has resulted in both countries appearing on the map for the 2026-2027 BTS World Tour and the latter serving as venue for the final stops of the event.
It is to be surmised that this will drive bookings for flights, accommodations, as well as attractions to these countries from now until the first quarter of 2027.
The why behind Asia’s soaring popularity as a concert hub
But why exactly is Asia becoming the region to keep an eye on in terms of concert tourism?
There are actually several aspects working in the continent’s favour:
- Infrastructure Being a major player in the global MICE sector, it’s no secret that virtually every Asian country has at least two major venues big enough to host even concerts of the biggest possible scale. From the Philippine Arena which hosted the Manila stop of U2’s 2019 global tour to Singapore’s massive National Stadium, regional venues have capacity, facilities, and even technically-trained personnel to help pull off massive musical endeavours;
- Interregional travel Another advantage of Asia as a venue is that those resident in the region often don’t need to apply for a visa in the event that they book to watch a concert in a neighbouring country. Also, for countries that do require a visa for entry, it is actually much easier to apply and be approved for one well before the event. It should be noted that up to 63 percent of Asian travellers cross borders to attend concerts and similar events;
- Industrial partnerships Event management and ticketing companies actively tie-up with OTAs throughout the region to give avid fans the opportunity to be part of the action through discounts for event tickets or the privilege of buying tickets well before they’re made available to the general public. At the same time, sponsorships with airlines and hotels also serve as targeted campaigns;
- Massive markets Both Eastern and Western artists enjoy massive fanbases within Asia, as seen in revenues earned from merchandise sold online as well as fan club and streaming platform subscriptions. Japan and Korea, both of which have had global reach in terms of popular culture, have both earned tremendously both in-country and on a regional basis; and
- Event experts abound Asia has no shortage of concert impresarios who pull out all the stops when it comes to sets, pyrotechnics, and special effects to turn simple performances into impressive spectacles. The roster currently includes Hong Kong’s Harris Ho, Japan’s Jun Matsumoto, Paolo Valenciano in the Philippines, and Lenny Wee in Singapore.
With all that said, one thing is certain: Asia is rolling out the red carpet for global music's biggest names, and fans are more than willing to troop over and enjoy the show.
