Music Tourism Is Booming, But Is It Justifying Local Investment?

There’s an undeniable energy surging through India’s music landscape—and it’s not just coming from behind the console or on stage. It’s coming from planes full of fans flying in for boutique festivals in Goa, road-trippers heading to Meghalaya for homegrown indie acts, and global talent lighting up heritage venues in Jaipur and Udaipur. Music tourism in India is booming. But beneath the glitter of sold-out shows and Instagrammable stages lies a more critical question: Is this momentum truly justifying the local investment it demands?

As someone navigating both the cultural and commercial sides of the music industry, I see firsthand how transformative a well-executed music event can be for a local economy. Jobs are created, infrastructure is upgraded, and entire ecosystems—from hospitality to transport—benefit from the influx. Festivals like Ziro, Echoes of Earth, or Mahindra Blues have become not just annual highlights but economic stimulants for their regions.

But are we building something sustainable, or are we caught in a loop of temporary hype?

The truth is, much of India’s current music tourism model is still top-heavy—heavily reliant on brand partnerships, ticketing blitzes, and social buzz. This isn't inherently wrong, but it often leaves local stakeholders—artists, technicians, vendors, and even municipalities—without a long-term stake or return. In some cases, venues are built or refurbished for one-off events, only to be abandoned once the lights go down.

To justify local investment, we need to shift our lens. The focus shouldn't be just on drawing tourists for a weekend, but on embedding music culture into the identity of a place year-round. Think residencies, public music education, rehearsal spaces, and support for local talent. Think infrastructure that doesn’t only work for an international DJ set, but also serves a regional folk performance on an off-season weekday.

At Dharma Cornerstone, we’ve started pushing conversations around “community-first music tourism”—where the impact of an event is measured not just in footfall but in how much of that energy circulates back to the region itself. Who gets hired? Whose stories are being told on stage? Who owns the narrative?

This also calls for smarter collaboration between private players and local governments. Incentivising music-led tourism shouldn't mean a blind flow of funds, but strategic planning—auditing the long-term benefit, creating post-event economic trails, and most importantly, keeping local creative communities at the heart of it all.

India is at a beautiful intersection—where our musical heritage meets the aspirations of a global youth culture. Music tourism can absolutely be the bridge between the two. But if we want the bridge to last, we must build it with intention, integrity, and inclusivity.

It’s time we start asking: not just how many people came to the party, but who got to stay and grow after it ended.