Over 222,000 people attended British rock band Coldplay’s Ahmedabad concerts earlier this year. Fans from over 500 cities across India traveled to attend the shows held across two nights, according to a new report by live entertainment platform BookMyShow Live and EY’s strategic consulting arm EY-Parthenon.
It added that the concert generated an estimated economic impact of INR 6.41 billion ($75 million) for Ahmedabad, including significant spending on accommodation, transport, dining and retail. For the three days that the concert was held, Ahmedabad airport handled 138,000 travelers.
BookMyShow Live also partnered with Indian Railways’ Western Railways division to run special superfast trains between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to cater to the heavy flow of passengers, the report added.
The inflow of tourists for the concert also pushed up room rates as hotel bookings increased 1047% during January 26-28. “Room rates that typically hover around INR 15,000 ($175) even during peak season soared to INR 50,000-90,000 ($586-1,055), within just 48 hours of the concert announcement,” the report added.
“The concert served as a major catalyst for demand, with bookings rising by nearly 69% across all modes of transportation on our platform compared to two weeks earlier,” said online travel agency MakeMyTrip’s chief marketing and business officer Raj Rishi Singh. “Flight bookings increased by 55%. Average selling prices across all modes of transportation also saw an upward trend. While the percentage increase varied across these modes, the overall average was close to 50% year-on-year,” he added.
Ahmedabad’s Image Boost: Beyond the shows, the concert also helped boost Ahmedabad’s image. The report noted that over 80% of the attendees said that they had a positive experience at the concert. Nearly 30% of attendees said that they would like to attend more such concerts in Ahmedabad.
“The shift in perception was striking – 78% of surveyed attendees now view Ahmedabad as a major concert city, and two-thirds expressed strong willingness to return,” it added.
The report noted that for every INR 100 spent on concert tickets, attendees contributed an additional INR 585 towards services such as hospitality, travel, local shopping and dining. Over 35% of the concert attendees also explored local attractions and engaged in local shopping. Nearly 80% of all attendees were under the age of 35, it added.
Half of the attendees surveyed by BookMyShow Live extended their visit in Ahmedabad beyond the concert, staying for more than one night.
Music Tourism Frenzy: Skift reported last September that for Coldplay’s three concerts in Mumbai in January this year drove hotel prices near the DY Patil Stadium to surge to INR 640,000 ($7,600) for three nights.
All major branded hotels, including Taj The Trees, JW Marriott in Sahar and Juhu, The Westin in Garden City and Powai Lake, Four Seasons Hotel, The St. Regis Mumbai, and The Oberoi Mumbai were listed at over INR 150,000 ($1,800) for three nights during the concert, when typically, these hotels charge between INR 7,000 to INR 30,000 ($84 to $360) per night.
For Indian singer Diljit Dosanjh’s concert in Chandigarh in December, online travel platform Ixigo reported a 300% surge in flight bookings. “The passion for live performances is driving fans to travel, and this surge in bookings across flights, trains, and buses shows how music tourism is becoming a major force in the country,” said Aloke Bajpai, group CEO, Ixigo.
Guwahati to Get 11 New 5-Star Hotels
The city of Guwahati in Assam is set to get 11 new five-star hotels, state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.
He was speaking at an event to mark the construction of two of these 11 hotels.
The two hotels will be developed under Marriott and will be located near the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport.
Among the 11 luxury hotels slated to come up in the city, two will be Marriott and two will be Taj-branded properties, he said. The city will also get a Lemon Tree hotel on the national highway. The Radisson Blu hotel in the city will also be expanded with an additional inventory of 100 rooms. Apart from this, Vivanta Guwahati at Khanapara will also be replaced by a new Taj hotel.
According to Sarma, the growing trend of destination weddings along with leisure tourism will drive business for these hotels.
In February this year, Indian business magnate and Reliance Industries chairperson Mukesh Ambani pledged the development of a seven-star Oberoi Hotel in the state, adding that his company’s priority is to boost the high-end hotel and hospitality economy in Assam.
Air India, IndiGo Postpone Resuming Flights Amid Safety Concerns
A day after 32 Indian airports were reopened for civil operations, Indian carriers Air India and IndiGo announced their plans to cancel flights to and from a total of nine border airports amid safety concerns. On Tuesday afternoon, IndiGo said that it was canceling flights to and from Jammu, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Leh, Srinagar, and Rajkot for the day.
Air India also issued a statement saying, “In view of the latest developments and keeping your safety in mind, flights to and from Jammu, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh and Rajkot are cancelled for Tuesday.”
Neither airline gave any specific reason for cancelling the flights beyond safety concerns. Meanwhile, budget airline SpiceJet announced resumption of its scheduled flight operations to Srinagar starting Tuesday. The airline added that it would also restart flights for Haj 2025 from Srinagar starting Wednesday.
Indore to Get a Grand Hyatt
Hyatt has signed an agreement to develop a Grand Hyatt-branded property in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore. The 250-key hotel will also feature 5,000 square meter space for events and meetings.
At present, Hyatt operates four Grand Hyatt properties across India – Mumbai, Gurugram, Kochi, and Goa.
Last October, the company announced plans to double its portfolio in India from 50 properties to 100 over the next five to six years. It is also looking at opportunities to bring more brands into the country, which is home to Hyatt’s third-largest portfolio outside the Americas and China. For the company, Hyatt Regency brand is a key growth driver for expansion in India. It is also set to launch its Unbound Collection brand in India this year.
Vietnam Airlines Launches Direct Flight to Hyderabad
Vietnam Airlines has launched new direct flights between Hyderabad and Hanoi. This is the airline’s fourth destination in India after Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. The carrier is operating on the route three times a week.
“India continues to be a key growth region for Vietnam Airlines,” said Nguyen Trung Hieu, country manager – India, Vietnam Airlines. “Hyderabad serves as an important gateway to southern India. Following our growing presence in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, this launch further reinforces our network expansion across the country.”
India is a key source market for Vietnam. Last year, over 500,000 Indian tourists visited the country, marking an increase of 26% from 2023. The country is expecting this figure to surge to 1 million soon.
Chalet Hotels’ Revenue Surges Over 20%
Hotel owner and developer Chalet Hotels recorded a 21.3% increase in its revenue for the 2024-25 financial year. However, despite this increase, the company’s profit after tax declined by nearly 50%. The decline has been attributed to an increase in employee benefit expenses, higher power and fuel costs, and greater consumption of operating supplies.
However, Chalet Hotels CEO Sanjay Sethi said he is not worried. He said that the company’s entry into Goa and Rishikesh shows its strategy of strengthening its portfolio and diversifying its customer mix. It is now going to focus on deepening its operational efficiencies, while continuing to execute its expansion pipeline.
Wanderlust follows the latest stories in tourism and experiences from across the globe.
Get it in your inbox every Thursday.
By submitting this form, you agree to receive email communication from Skift.