TOURISTS attending live concerts and music festivals in Britain generated £3.1 billion in direct and indirect spend to the country’s economy, says the UK Music lobby group.
Its Wish You Were Here 2015 economic study reports that music tourism numbers in the UK increased by 34% between 2011 and 2014, with 9.5 million people travelling to music events in 2014.
It says music tourism has been driving wealth into local economies across the whole of the UK.
‘These past four years have seen a 39% rise in overseas tourists travelling to the UK to attend our #musicevents, each with an average spend of £751 going directly to UK businesses,’ the report states. ‘This increase in music tourism provides a huge boost to employment throughout the country, with 38,238 full time jobs in 2014 sustained by music tourism in the UK. This in itself marks a 57 % increase from the 2012 figure of 24,521.’
The government’s Culture Secretary, John Whittingdale, commented: ‘It’s fantastic news that our music industry drew in 9.5 million tourists last year, but it’s no surprise. British music is legendary around the world and continues to go from strength to strength, with UK artists now accounting for one in seven albums sold worldwide.
‘#Festivals such as Glastonbury hold an iconic status on the world music scene and are one of the reasons why international tourism is booming in the UK, drawing in streams of visitors to all parts of the country.’
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