Hanoi (VNA) - Travel planning among Vietnamese consumers is undergoing a fundamental shift, with live music events increasingly becoming the starting point for an entire journey. Rather than choosing a destination first, many travellers now plan their trips around concerts and music festivals, turning music tourism from a niche trend into a powerful driver of travel demand across Southeast Asia.
A 330 billion USD market in sight
The global music tourism market is set to blow past 330 billion USD by 2033, expanding at a 15.8% compound annual rate from 2026-2033, according to a report by US-based market research and consulting firm Grand View Research. The charge is led by Millennials (born in between 1981 and 1996) and Gen Z (born in between 1997 and 2012), who prize bespoke experiences and cultural immersion over box-ticking sightseeing.
Travellers increasingly anchor a trip to an event, not the other way around. A concert ticket, whether for a favourite actist or a festival, becomes the trigger to book flights, lock in rooms, and explore a new city. The destination is no longer the starting point, but a live, memorable experience now drives the whole journey.
Huynh Thi Mai Thy, Country Director of Traveloka Vietnam, said "We are seeing music tourism become one of the key forces shaping how young Vietnamese travellers plan their trips."
Fans now plan well ahead, stretch their stays, and stack live music with local food, shopping, sightseeing, and cultural deep-dives. A few hours of performance can spark a multi-day trip, raising the take for travellers and host destinations alike, she added.
"We are seeing music tourism become one of the key forces shaping how young Vietnamese travellers plan their trips," said Huynh Thi Mai Thy, Country Director of Traveloka Vietnam. "More and more people are willing to build an entire itinerary around live music events taking place across the region."
Music tourism fuels sustainable growth across Southeast Asia
Vietnam is steadily cementing its place on Asia’s music tourism map with a rising roster of globally-renowned artists. After Blackpink’s 2024 Hanoi show, fans are eagerly anticipating upcoming dates from BigBang and EXO. Well beyond ticket sales, these events ignite demand for travel, lodging, and on-the-ground experiences.
Traveloka’s data shows that international artists hitting Vietnam send domestic travel demand straight up. Search interest surges when major concerts land, as fans nationwide plan trips to host cities. BigBang in Hanoi drove domestic travel searches more than fourfold above baseline while EXO’s return to Ho Chi Minh City triggered a near-tripling.
“Music tourism demand appears in our search data weeks before the concerts”, Thy said.
The trend also leaps borders. When popular artists announce shows in neighbouring countries, Vietnamese fans are turning them into international trips. BTS’s Arirang World Tour in Bangkok sent Vietnam-to-Thailand travel searches soaring nearly eightfold. A week later, the group’s Kuala Lumpur concerts pushed Vietnam-to-Malaysia searches roughly four times the norm. The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour in Singapore and Bangkok lifted Vietnam-origin searches almost fourfold. Post Malone’s Big Ass World Tour and My Chemical Romance’s Long Live The Black Parade tour delivered the same pattern.
With dense air links and a swelling live-event calendar, Southeast Asia is well-placed to capture the momentum. Vietnamese travellers are emerging as one of the region’s leading cross-border segments, fueling music tourism’s continued expansion across the region./.
