Diljit Dosanjh strikes the right chord with global travellers for Toronto concert

Diljit Dosanjh's upcoming concert is driving tourism in Toronto.

If desi fans love to see their favourite foreign band or artiste live abroad, then Indian artistes do not lag behind in setting off a spurt in demand for their concerts among global tourists.

Indian singer Diljit Dosanjh's performance in Toronto on July 13 has shifted travel patterns in a major way, boosting both domestic and international bookings, shows data by RateGain, a travel  SaaS company.

The concert at Rogers Centre has caused a massive surge in hotel bookings for Toronto from various cities. Vancouver leads with a 679 percent on-year jump, followed by Kitchener at 686 percent, and Calgary at 603 percent, according to data by World-on-Holiday, an insights centre by RateGain created to track travel trends across the world.

Other Canadian cities, including London, Mississauga, and Montreal have also logged in significant rise in hotel bookings for Toronto at 509 percent, 263 percent, and 205 percent, respectively, highlighting the concert's wide-reaching appeal across the country.

Demand for Toronto has also surged in the international markets for Dosanjh's concert dates. International hotel bookings from Bermuda with a 1,600 percent spike tops the list when it comes to inbound tourism surge for the Canadian city.

Dosanjh's concert has also sparked a significant rise in international hotel bookings from the US at a 707 percent and France at 714 percent. Mexico and the Netherlands show substantial rise at 403 percent and 494 percent. Bookings from the UAE and Germany increased by 300 percent each, while the UK and India recorded 181 percent and 133 percent rise.

Musical concerts are known to drive many solo travellers from the neighboring cities to the host city and Dosanjh's concert has also led to a spike in solo travellers visiting in Toronto.

The share of solo travel bookings in Toronto has increased during the concert dates, occupying 73 percent of all the hotel bookings this year. Solo bookings were less than half of the total hotel bookings in the last few years.

The boost in demand due to Dosanjh's concert has led to a 79 percent increase in average daily rate (ADR) for hotels to $225 from $126.

RateGain Travel said that the significant rise in reservations from various locations and the increase in hotel rates highlight the concert's impact on Toronto's tourism sector.

In April this year, Dosanjh made history during the North American leg of his 'Dil-Luminati Visit' by selling out the largest Punjabi show outside India, performing to over 50,000 attendees at the BC Place stadium in Vancouver, Canada.

Solidifying his global appeal, the acclaimed actor-singer also announced his upcoming special appearance on Jimmy Fallon's 'Tonight Show', along side Hollywood luminaries such as Eddie Murphy and Kevin Costner.

This surge in his global recognition has also positively impacted the travel industry, with fans from various countries eager to explore his roots and cultural heritage, RateGain said.

Music festivals and concerts are driving tourism. Surge in search on travel platforms for the host cities of Coldplay and Taylor Swift concerts signals the growing trend of music tourism among Indians, said online travel aggregators (OTAs).