What Does the Middle Eastern Music & Tourism Industry Have to Offer?
As the Middle East continues to make global headlines by becoming an international hub for hosting mega-events, the region's sports and music tourism sector presents interesting opportunities for marketers, advertisers and brands. The latest research commissioned by Collinson International highlights that 89% of sports and music fans in the Middle East have traveled by plane to a new city or country to watch their favorite team or artist. With sports fans leading the spending surge—59% exceeding $500 per trip, per person—there is a compelling case for brands to target this high-value audience.
As netizens, we could hardly have imagined witnessing some of the most unconventional yet historic boxing matches hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The prospect of the Kingdom taking over and revolutionizing the boxing industry has set social media abuzz. Turki AlalShikh, Advisor to the Royal Court and Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, has announced plans to launch a new boxing league. This initiative is part of a broader vision to position Saudi Arabia as a premier destination for global sporting events.
As the Middle East continues to emerge as a hub for mega-events, this move underscores the region's growing influence in the world of sports and entertainment. The increasing investment in sports tourism is not only boosting the local economy but also creating unique opportunities for brands to engage with passionate and high-spending audiences. By hosting high-profile events, the Kingdom has successfully enhanced its global standing while attracting tourists from around the world, further solidifying its role as a leader in the event tourism sector.
Further defining this discussion are Collinson International's latest report's findings.
Sports and music tourism is experiencing rapid growth. In 2023, sports tourism was valued at $564.7 billion and is expected to almost double in value to $1.33 Trillion by 2032. Additionally, music tourism is forecasted to reach $13.8 Billion by 2032. This is being driven by three main components: Events, with more sports and music events, fans have more choice of destinations; Exposure, the internationalisation of new and existing sports leagues through TV and streaming has encouraged fans to travel, while music fans are finding it may be more cost-effective to see an artist abroad; and Experience, after years of Covid-19 travel restrictions, live fans are back and wanting new, enhanced experiences.
It is clear that both sports and music tourism are booming, and event travellers have high aspirations, presenting a huge opportunity for businesses to tap into this growing segment of travellers. Of those that travel to an event by plane, more than 83% have travelled for sports and 58% for music in the past three years or plan to do so in the coming 12 months. Of these travellers, over 58% travel more than once a year with 23% attending events more than three times annually.
With the event season in the Middle East approaching, highlighted by major music and sporting events like the F1 Grand Prix and MDL Beast in Saudi Arabia, the surge in sports and music tourism presents an exciting opportunity for businesses.
Spending Habits
Sports fans are the biggest spenders, with 59% exceeding $500 per trip. Notably, 18% of respondents in the UAE spend more than $2,000 per trip, compared to 15% of travellers from KSA. Globally, the 25-34 age group spends the most overall, with a third (33%) exceeding $1,000 for sports and 31% for music events.
The typical spend for sports travellers at airports is $100 (44%) but this varies considerably with those travelling for basketball (32%), Formula 1 (32%) and the Olympics (31%) prepared to spend $200 or more.
Over 4 in 5 (89%) of sports and music fans in the Middle East have travelled to a new city or country to watch their favourite team or artist and of those, 30% said they have gone back – with a further 31% planning to return. This presents huge economic growth opportunities for local businesses within these destinations.
Elevated Airport Experiences
Those travelling to see their favourite sports team or artist are looking for more premium travel experiences, which means they are more likely to take advantage of airport experiences.
Over half (58%) of KSA travellers have used airport experiences when travelling for an event, with the most preferred experience being airport lounge (32%). Followed by gaming lounges (25%), spas (22%), and sleep pods (14%). The top reasons fans visit an airport lounge is to relax and unwind before or after watching their favourite team/artist (53% for sports and 55% for music fans), followed by taking advantage of food and drink options (48% for sports and 51% for music).
Comparatively, in the UAE, 61% of travellers have utilised airport experiences when attending an event. Breaking it down further, 42% of fans visited an airport lounge, 20% used gaming lounges, 18% enjoyed a spa, and 15% benefited from sleep pods. Seeing similar results for UAE and KSA, the top reason UAE travellers visit an airport lounge is to relax and unwind, with 59% of music fans and 58% of sports fans citing this as their primary reason, followed by enjoying the food and drink options with 52% for both sports and music fans.
Tailoring Loyalty Programs
Over half of event travellers (61%) in KSA participate in loyalty programmes. Many have joined loyalty programmes that offer discounts on flights (55%), tickets (52%), accommodation (46%) or points/miles (43%). Over a third (40%) of event travellers would choose a payment card that offered exclusive travel benefits such as an event package (flights, accommodation, transfers and tickets), airport lounge access (38%) and travel insurance (31%).
A staggering 70% of UAE event travellers participate in loyalty programs. Similar to KSA, they join programs offering discounts: 53% on flights, 52% on tickets, 42% on points/miles, and 41% on accommodation. Interestingly, fewer UAE travellers (34%) choose a payment card offering exclusive travel benefits as a package (flights, accommodation, transfers, and tickets), with 43% valuing airport lounge access and 36% prioritizing travel insurance.
“The growing and global fanbase that will travel to iconic sports and music events is looking for unforgettable experiences and are prepared to spend significantly to make their trip extra special,” says Christopher Evans, CEO of Collinson International, owner and operator of Priority Pass. “Fans are by definition synonymous with loyalty. This new research shows the high value they place on travel benefits. Great news for the travel industry and for those businesses targeting frequent travellers providing the opportunity to capitalise on the rise of event tourism by offering the travel benefits fans crave. In return, they will see the advantage of being top-of-mind and wallet with these frequent travellers, boosting engagement, building loyalty, and driving additional cross-border spend.”
