Taylor Swift, BTS as well as a holiday: the rise of music tourism, where pop fans marry concerts with sightseeing

Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, BTS and Blackpink are among the artists who have been on tour – and some fans travel across the world to see them perform

Not only are they attending concerts in the host cities and countries, they are also visiting attractions, shopping and feasting at well-known restaurants

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Taylor Swift performs at the iHeartRadio Wango Tango concert in California, in the United States, in 2019. Touring musical superstars such as Swift are aiding the growth of music tourism. Photo: Reuters

Gillian Rhys

Published: 7:15am, 8 Aug 2023Updated: 1:31pm, 11 Aug 2023

In a recent interview, Miley Cyrus was asked if she was going on tour.

“Yeah, the Aman hotel tour,” the American pop star joked. “Singing in the lobby for that complimentary massage.”

Cyrus may not be going on the road any time soon, but many other artists are. From Beyoncé, Blackpink and Taylor Swift to Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay and Harry Styles, a myriad of music superstars are on stadium world tours. And wherever they announce a concert date, their fans follow.

As each stadium concert accommodates between 50,000 and 80,000 fans, and with some artists performing over several nights in a single venue, a significant number of people are flocking to those host cities – many from outside the local area or even the country – in what has been billed as music tourism or concert travel.

A fan poses with a Taylor Swift vinyl album as he waits to buy Taylor Swift concert tickets at a post office in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

In May, Hongkonger Tiffany Chung Yi-lok and her daughter flew to Singapore to see K-pop girl group Blackpink.