'I travel over 15,000 miles for K-pop concerts - it costs me thousands but I won't stop'

How far would you go to see your favourite artist live? For some, a concertis a night out to sing their hearts out or to hear their favourite album live. But for Denrick Domingo, travelling from city to city to witness his favourite K-pop idols live on stage has also been an opportunity to discover a new place.

Denrick's travels feed into a growing movement called music tourism, where people travel to different places to experience music events. Whether it’s Coachella, Tomorrowland’s dreamy and electrifying festival, or even the iconic Taylor Swift Eras Tour - fans are turning concerts into travel experiences.

This is where Denrick comes in, an 18-year-old who's ditched the party isle of Ibiza to travel across Europe for the music he loves. While people travel hundreds and even thousands of miles to spend the summer of their lives in the Balearic Islands, Denrick is "forced" to leave the island because concerts aren’t a thing. In other related news, here's a list of UK festivals you wouldn't want to miss this summer.

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Over the years, music tourism has experienced a surge. According to reports by theCreative Industries, a record number of 23.5 million music tourists enjoyed live concerts and festivals in the UK in 2024, a 23 per cent increase on 2023’s total of 19.2 million. The results also revealed that out of the 23.5 million music tourists, 1.6 million came from overseas. Interestingly, overseas tourists came to the UK to see the likes of Taylor Swift, who was celebrating her Eras Tour, and to attend festivals like Glastonbury.

K-pop is one of the biggest music genres of the moment, dominating global charts not only in South Korea but also internationally. Over the years, popular groups like BTS and BLACKPINK paved the way for more emerging artists. European fans are now seeing their cities added to world tour stops, and for fans like Denrick, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As a devoted K-pop fan, Denrick has gone to incredible lengths to see his favourite idols live. Spending his salary on tickets and flights, he has attended a total of 33 concerts, with 15 more to attend, spending an exact amount of €6,761 (£5,886.74) in the span of two years.

He told us: “I live in Ibiza, where no one comes to perform concerts, so I’m always forced to travel outside the island. Most of the time, I get to travel to Barcelona or Madrid, but other times, Spain isn’t lucky enough to have a date, so I have to travel to other European cities. In the end, I get to visit a new country while attending a concert.” Travelling a total of 15,784 miles, he has also visited Paris, Lyon, Antwerp, Brussels and London.

“I don’t regret investing my money in concerts. I’m still young and want to enjoy these years travelling and seeing the artists I like most before becoming independent and having to reserve my budget for other things,” Denrick added.

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Daniel Hurley, COO & founder ofGlobal Carter, said: “More young people are planning trips around concerts, festivals, and live events abroad, treating music as the main reason to travel rather than just something to do while they are there. It’s part of a wider shift towards experience-led travel, where people want something memorable and personal rather than a standard holiday.”

He added: “Travel tied to music is no longer just about big festivals. It's also about one-off concerts in iconic venues, pop-up performances, and even following a favourite artist on tour. For under-35s, it offers a way to combine their interests with global travel in a way that feels personal and worth the cost.”

For Denrick and all music lovers, attending concerts isn’t just about enjoying a three-hour live-performance and filling your storage with pictures and videos - it’s about making memories, seeing the world, and most importantly, living in the moment. It’s clear that young people are choosing experiences over things, and music tourism is one of them.

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