As travel is increasingly shaped by experiences, Airbnb’s recent report Unlocking Maharashtra’s Event Economy: Powering Tourism and Local Communities highlights that concerts, sporting events, and cultural festivals are driving tourism demand and visitor spending across Maharashtra, positioning the state as a key hub for event-led travel in India.
Across the state, large-scale events are translating into measurable increases in travel activity.
- During the World Cup matches in 2023, nights stayed in Maharashtra increased by 50% year-on-year, alongside a 75% rise in guest check-ins around match windows.
- Similarly, in January 2025, the Coldplay concerts in Mumbai drove a 100% increase in nights booked and a 170% surge in guest arrivals during the concert dates, as visitors turned these moments into multi-day trips.
- This trend is further reflected in festivals such as Lollapalooza India 2026, where bookings in Mumbai grew over 50x year-on-year, with the festival weekend accounting for more than 80% of all bookings in January.
Travel behaviour is evolving alongside this growth, with younger travellers increasingly planning trips around concerts, festivals, and large-scale cultural experiences. According to a recent survey, younger Indians are increasingly spending on event-led travel, with average trips costing around ₹51,000 and six in ten travellers allocating 21–40% of their monthly income on music-led travel. Industry estimates further suggest that for every ₹1,000 spent on a concert ticket, an additional ₹1,500–₹2,000 flows into the wider tourism economy, across accommodation, transport, and local businesses.
As demand peaks during major events, Airbnb helps expand accommodation capacity through local homes, enabling travellers to stay closer to where events are happening while supporting neighbourhood economies.
In 2025, Airbnb guest spending contributed over USD 832 million to India’s economy and 222,000 jobs across sectors.
“Events are increasingly shaping how people travel, and Maharashtra is already seeing how this translates into longer stays and more local economic activity,” said Amanpreet Bajaj, Country Head – India and Southeast Asia, Airbnb. “As the state continues to attract large-scale events, ensuring there is enough flexible accommodation will be key to supporting visitor demand while allowing more communities to participate in and benefit from tourism growth.”
“India’s experiential travel economy is expanding rapidly, and destinations like Maharashtra that have the scale, connectivity and event pipeline to anchor India’s event economy will lead the next phase of tourism growth. Maharashtra is uniquely equipped to capitalize on this expanding opportunity.” said Rahul Sharma, Managing Director – India, U.S. – India Business Council at a joint roundtable with Airbnb and MITRA on Maharashtra’s role in India’s emerging multi-billion event economy.
With the right ecosystem in place, events can consistently convert into longer stays, higher local spending and broader community participation reinforcing their role as a reliable driver of tourism growth across Maharashtra.
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