China's concert boom boosts holiday tourism, consumption

American rapper Kanye West rocked the Wuyuanhe Stadium in Haikou, the capital of south China's island province of Hainan, with a live music show on Sunday, firing up his fans and sparking a surge in the local holiday tourism economy.

The show on the first night of the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday marked Kanye West's return to China since his 2008 concerts in Beijing and Shanghai, and it was his only stop in China on a world tour.

Dubbed a "world tour listening party," the live event attracted nearly 40,000 fans, with 95 percent coming from outside the island, most of whom were from Shanghai, Guangdong Province, Zhejiang Province and Beijing. Some fans even came from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and abroad.

The city of Haikou had made full preparations for the event. Hotels, scenic spots, restaurants, shopping malls and retail stores offered over 100 discount services for fans to maximize the economic benefits of the show.

Partly thanks to the show, the city's average hotel occupancy rate rose to over 83 percent on the first day of the holiday, up 41.82 percent from last year, according to data from the municipal bureau of tourism.

It is estimated that the show could generate about 373 million yuan (about $52.6 million) in total tourism revenue for the city.

Li Qi, a fan from Chengdu in southwest China, arrived in Haikou a day before the concert. Besides attending the show, she also planned to spend her Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in Hainan, visiting the iconic tourist attractions, enjoying local delicacies, and shopping at the duty-free stores.

"I'm going to buy some duty-free goods for my family," said the excited visitor.

"The show had a significant influence, with the vast majority of attendees coming from outside the island, bringing a large influx of tourists to Haikou," said Lyu Xiaolei, deputy mayor of Haikou.

"These visitors are engaged in duty-free shopping and various cultural and tourism activities, which will greatly boost Haikou's holiday consumption," she said, adding that the city will attract more international and domestic concerts in the future to build itself into an international city of performing arts.

Kanye West's performance wasn't the only high-profile event during the holiday. Across China, concerts and musical festivals featuring domestic and international stars drew large crowds.

In Beijing, American singer Mariah Carey's 2024 concert on Sunday and Monday attracted fans from across the country.

"I've been to Beijing many times, but this time I came just for Mariah Carey," said Geng Bo, a fan from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, about 1,700 kilometers away. "Concerts like this are rare. Fans from all over the country and even around the world flew in to see her."

Geng said he had already made plans with other fans from across the country to gather at various restaurants and cafes in Beijing.

According to Wang Jiansheng, head of the Hainan Tourism Development Research Association, due to China's development and globalization, an increasing number of Western musicians have been coming to perform in the country.

"Attending concerts has become a new form of social interaction," said Wang. "Fans, mostly young people, are also the main consumers in the tourism market."

The growing integration of performing arts events with tourism, dining and retail has stimulated cultural tourism consumption and proved that the fusion of culture and tourism has enormous vitality, Wang said.