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With travel increasingly shaped by experiences, a recent report by Airbnb has highlighted that concerts, sporting events, and cultural festivals are driving tourism demand and visitor spending across Maharashtra, positioning the State as a key hub for event-led travel in India.
The report "Unlocking Maharashtra's Event Economy: Powering Tourism and Local Communities" stated that large-scale events are translating into measurable increases in travel activity across the State. During the World Cup matches in 2023, guests who stayed nights in Maharashtra increased by 50 per cent year-on-year, alongside a 75 per cent rise in guest check-ins around match windows, the report stated. Similarly, the Coldplay concerts in Mumbai drove a 100 per cent increase in nights booked and a 170 per cent surge in guest arrivals, as visitors turned these moments into multi-day trips. This trend is further reflected in festivals such as Lollapalooza India 2026, where bookings in Mumbai grew over 50x year-on-year, with the festival weekend accounting for more than 80 per cent of all bookings in January. Travel behaviour is evolving alongside this growth, with younger travellers increasingly planning trips around concerts, festivals, and large-scale cultural experiences. According to a recent survey, younger Indians are increasingly spending on event-led travel, with average trips costing around Rs 51,000 and six in ten travellers allocating 21-40 per cent of their monthly income on music-led travel. Industry estimates further suggest that for every Rs 1,000 spent on a concert ticket, an additional Rs 1,500- 2,000 flows into the wider tourism economy, across accommodation, transport, and local businesses. In 2025, Airbnb said its guest spending contributed over USD 832 million to India's economy and 222,000 jobs across sectors. "Events are increasingly shaping how people travel, and Maharashtra is already seeing how this translates into longer stays and more local economic activity," said Amanpreet Bajaj, Country Head - India and Southeast Asia, Airbnb. "India's experiential travel economy is expanding rapidly, and destinations like Maharashtra that have the scale, connectivity and event pipeline to anchor India's event economy will lead the next phase of tourism growth. Maharashtra is uniquely equipped to capitalize on this expanding opportunity," said Rahul Sharma, Managing Director - India, US-India Business Council at a joint roundtable with Airbnb and MITRA on Maharashtra's role in India's emerging multi-billion event economy. (ANI)
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