By Javier Picazo Feliu
Madrid, Mar 14 (EFE).- Music festivals are a huge attraction for international tourism in Spain, with more than 5 million foreign visitors coming to the country in 2023 to attend nearly 1,000 festivals and cultural events.
“Live music, attending festivals and concerts, is all about emotions and experiences. Spain is a world leader in tourism and is a powerhouse as a tourist destination for musical festivals,” Miguel Sanz Castedo, director general of the Spanish Tourism Institute (Turespaña), tells EFE.
A booming sector that brought in more 459 million euros (502.3 million US dollars) in 2022, 20% more than in 2020.
The sector is expected to generate 508 million euros by 2025, according to data from the live music promoters sector and the sectoral report of the PWC consulting firm.
“Spain is not only good weather and beaches, rich in artistic heritage, excellent gastronomy and sports. It is culture, quality, rich and extensive, and part of that is enjoying live music, festivals, artists and spectacular locations, all year round,” adds Sanz.
According to Turespaña, last year more than 5.3 million international tourists – who were mainly from France (13.1%), the United Kingdom (12.7%), Germany (9.6%), Italy (8.3%) and the United States (7.5%) – attended cultural events, including music festivals, in Spain.
INCREASINGLY INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS
The Rio Babel festival in Madrid is one of those that has most changed its original conception as an event for locals to appeal to more international audiences.
“We have tried to make the festival grow without losing its essence. This year, 14% of the audience is expected to come from outside Spain, about 10% more than in the previous edition,” says Germán Quimasó, Director of the production company Sonde3, in charge of the Festival, in an interview with EFE.
To that end, Rio Babel has been divided into two for what will be its third edition: the one-day “Road to Rio Babel” event, with a strong international appeal – featuring bands such as Green Day, The Hives and The Interrupters – and the traditional three-day “Rio Babel” which mixes Latin American talent – such as Juanes, Andrés Calamaro and the rapper Trueno –, international artists such as The Cat Empire and the highlights of the local music scene.
In terms of tourism and being an urban festival in Madrid, the hook is the music: “if the line-up is attractive enough, they come to the festival and visit Madrid. We try to make it stylistically very eclectic,” he says.
At other events in more traditional hotspots such as Sónar and Primavera Sound in Barcelona or FIB in Benicassim, the festival’s attraction also comes from its location.
Although summer is still the key time for these festivals, with 80% of the events held in 2022 between June and September, the sector is already moving to try to offer off-season proposals and attract more visitors during the rest of the year.
“It’s a very positive impact. It generates wealth, hotels are sold out. In the end sustainability is constant, from an environmental, financial point of view. All the brands present at a festival have very important quality and sustainability standards. Right now, fortunately, the legislation itself has come a long way,” David Pejenaute, Vibra Mahou’s Content Manager, told EFE.
The music platform channels part of the experience of festivals, serves as a launching pad for local talent and promotes meetings around live music, a link that has as one of the main stages the Mad Cool festival in Madrid, which welcomes nearly 200,000 attendees in its four days of performances.
The event this year will feature a very international lineup and performances by artists such as The Killers, Dua Lipa, Maneskin and Pearl Jam, among others.
“It is a festival with internationally renowned artists who understand that this entails a high percentage of attendees from outside Spain,” which means offering “a higher quality experience for users and creating a kind of amusement park where you have a series of activities and content that allow you to enjoy more,” he says. EFE
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