Music tourism up in Italy in 2015

There was a significant increase in music tourism in Italy last year, with 6% more people travelling from another part of the country to attend a concert or festival.

Of the 6.1 million concert tickets sold in 2015, 31.4% were bought by people from outside the region where the event was held, many of them travelling over 200km (124mi) to attend, reveals a report commissioned by Italian industry association Assomusica.

Additionally, the report found that around 2.7% of concertgoers came from abroad.

According to Assomusica, the numbers come amid “a wave of optimism for the variety of musical events for the 2016 summer season: whether this be rock, with Bruce Springsteen returning to San Siro in Milan and David Gilmour to Pompeii, or classical music, with major events like the Puccini Festival of Torre del Lago and the Rossini Opera Festival of Pesaro”.

“We’re seeing growth in tourism related to music, in line with a greater number of concerts and performances”

“We’re seeing growth in tourism related to music, in line with a greater number of concerts and performances,” explains Assomusica president Vincenzo Spera, who adds that the sector last year generated close to €640 million in turnover.

Andrea Cortelazzi, head of marketing at tour operator Sipario Musicale, echoes Spera’s remarks, telling Il Sole 24 Ore: “There’s very strong demand for this segment of the market. Demand is constantly growing.”

The report will be released in full this winter.

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