Despite many reporting in the wake of Big Day Out and Homebake cancellations that the music festival industry is a bubble waiting to burst, British industry body UK Music has found in their 'Wish You Were Here 2015" report that tourists visiting the UK for music festivals pumped about £3 billion into the UK economy.
As reported by the BBC, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said, "Festivals like Glastonbury hold an iconic status on the world music scene and are one of the reasons why international tourism is booming in the UK, drawing in streams of visitors to all parts of the country.
"We know our UK creative industries contribute an astonishing £76.9bn to the UK economy but this report confirms they are truly world-class and a powerful advert for the UK."
Other interesting stats from last year in the report include the fact that music tourism maintained 38,238 full time jobs in the UK, 9.5 million music tourists attend music events in the country of which 546,000 were overseas music tourists and there is a 39% increase from 2011-2014 on the number of overseas music tourists in the UK.
Andy Heath, UK Music's Chairman, said, "More international music tourists are coming to the UK and more Brits are travelling further afield to gigs. The average spend by international music tourists has increased by 13% during this period, while the total exports have grown by less than 2%."
