Ep. 38 - This Month in Online Travel & Entertainment (May 2025): Music Tourism Booms, A-Rod Builds, and Booking Bets on the NBA

In this special News Flash episode of Tickets to Travel: The Business of Travel Experiences, host Mario Bauduin breaks down the biggest travel, ticketing, and live event stories making waves in May 2025.

From the explosive growth of music tourism — projected to hit $268 billion by 2030 according to IQ Magazine — to Airbnb’s new partnership with Live Nation, this episode explores how fandom, festivals, and unforgettable experiences are redefining global travel habits. We also examine Booking.com's new NBA deal and how it could change the game for sports-focused travel.

You'll hear:

• Why 60% of travelers (AMEX Global Travel Trends Report) are booking trips specifically for live experiences

• How Airbnb’s “Experiences” finally found a festival-friendly formula

• What A-Rod’s $1B Dominican Republic development means for Caribbean luxury tourism

• Why the Knicks' playoff run is pumping nearly $1B into NYC’s economy

• What the "Trump Slump" means for inbound U.S. tourism from Canada and China — and how premium travelers are keeping Vegas afloat

• Skift’s take on “Live Tourism” and how destinations are leaning into sports and culture to drive repeat visitation

This is the episode for ticketing pros, travel marketers, event producers, and anyone shaping the future of experiential tourism.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
What's up, travel fans, ticket scalers, and experience seekers. You're listening to tickets to Travel. The business of travel experiences where every ticket opens the door to a new adventure and sometimes a billion dollar beach front resort. I am your host, Mario DeWine, and if you're recovering from Memorial Day like I am, then congrats on making it through a short week. That somehow feels longer. It feels way too long actually. But unlike our collective motivation, the travel industry did not take a break. Nope. May and June are packed with power moves, surprise, slumps, and a few chart topping comebacks.

(00:01):
So today we're unpacking everything from ad's Luxury gamble into Dominican Republic to Airbnb's remix of experiences that actually might work this time.
But first, let's start with the star of the Global Travel Show right now. Music tourism. According to IQ Magazine, the music tourism market is projected to hit nearly $268 billion. That's with a B by 2030.
That's not a vibe. That's an entire movement.
And this just isn't about flying to Coachella or queuing for Aris Tour merch in Tokyo. According to Skiff research, more than 90% of travelers under the age of 44 say entertainment, sports, and culture are essential to their sense of joy while traveling. Get this, 75% say. These live experiences have become
more central to their travel plans within the last five years. Skit even quoted a Kurs loyalty exec, Medi Heri who said, you'll always remember how you felt, not just where you went. And that is so true, and that's the shift right there. The emotional return is driving the financial return.
Here's what the data says. Straight from Airbnb's newsroom Searches for stays in Houston spiked 620%. When Beyonce came through it, Manchester saw a 500% bump over Oasis Rumors and Shakira, her stop in Charlotte lit up Airbnb with a 200% jump.
The trend is so real. It has a demographic. Gen Z women are leading the charge. 33% of them say they'd absolutely fly to see live music compared to just 24% of Gen Z men. I. Meanwhile, the 2025 American Express Global Travel Trends report shows 74% of people are planning one to three domestic trips. This year, nearly 60% are going international, and 60% of everyone is doing it for you guessed it, the experiences.
So yeah, if your loyalty program doesn't reward Backstage dreams, you're probably getting left in the dust.
Alright, let's talk about Airbnb and Live Nation, because this might be the first time Airbnb experiences feature actually hits its stride as reported by Airbnb. They're rolling out immersive event days tied to Lollapalooza festivals worldwide, starting in July in Berlin.
We're talking backstage artist meetups, guided soundcheck tours, and fan hosted stays that feel like a mini festival. After some rough earlier attempts. Remember Airbnb trapeze class. This collab finally connects the dots between why people travel and where they stay. Smart. Move. Guys. Shout out to Airbnb.
Now let's see them scale it.
Meanwhile [e-mail], they've inked a deal to become the official online travel partner of both the NBA and WNBA per their press release. Now, they haven't shown their full playbook just yet, but here's how they should activate. Maybe there's game day travel bundles, loyalty perks tied to team loyalty.
Booking widgets inside NBA apps. Buy your seat, book your stay all in one move,
because let's face it, sports fandom drives travel, and if they do this right, they'll make it seamless.
In case you missed it, the Knicks are back. They're back in the NBA playoffs and not just in the standings. According to the NYC, economic Development Corporation and Mayor Eric Adams, their playoff run has already generated over $190 million in local spending. Each home playoff game, that's an extra $91 million impact.
And if they make it to the finals, we're talking $832 million for the city's overall economy. That's hotels, restaurants, Broadway shows, and overpriced martinis fueling the five boroughs. Besides, who wants to go to Indianapolis anyway?
Just kidding. Pacers fans. Just kidding. But let's hope for a long seven game series. Let's switch gears and hemispheres for a second. Formers Yankees. Legend Alex Rodriguez just announced a $1 billion luxury development in Playa Grande, Dominican Republic as reported by the Dominican today and boardroom.
The Plan 577 Villas and Condos, powered by Amman Resorts and Discovery Land Company transforming the North Coast into a new capital of Caribbean luxury. He is just not flipping resorts. He's flipping entire economies. Big swing for Arod here.
I know I love going to the Dominican Republic and I can't even imagine what this luxury complex is gonna look like,
now it wouldn't be 2025 without a little political weather.
According to Governor Gavin Newsom, the US is facing what he calls the Trump slump with California projecting a 1% drop in visitors this year, and a 9.2% fall in international tourists, New York, down 3 million tourists. That's $4 billion of loss. Vegas is also filling the burn visitor numbers down 7.8%.

(00:22):
Gaming revenue is off by 5%. Canadian traffic, big market for them down 20%, and Chinese inbound travel hit hard by Visa delays and tariffs as high as 125%. Even Miami's feeling a bit of a chill. The summer bookings from Canada down 70%,
But the boom is still booming. Here's the twist. According to Amex and backed by insights from Skift, the global travel surge is real. Those who are traveling, they're spending more gambling Budgets in Vegas are up to $820 per visitor.
I. Airbnb reports, guests spent $165 per day on average, with 40% of that going straight into the local communities. So yes, we lost volume, but premium spenders are keeping things afloat.
All right, it's time to wrap this one up and land this plane. So what do we go over today? Live tourism is the heartbeat of modern travel. Airbnb and booking.com are making major plays. The Knicks are New York's unsung heroes. Arod is now in the resort game and even with a Trump slump.
The travel boom is alive and well. So what does this mean for you if you are in ticketing, travel, tech, event ops, or destination marketing? It's time to think live first. Music, tourism, mobile first, and of course, fan first because remember, every ticket is a ticket to travel.
So until next time, I've been your host, Mario DeWine, for tickets to travel the Business of Travel Experiences, and we'll catch you on the next one. Safe travels. I.