Nanning is experiencing a surge in its economy, fueled by a vibrant concert scene. From January too May, eight large-scale concerts attracted notable crowds, injecting substantial revenue into the city’s economy. The Nanning Municipal Bureau of Culture, radio, Film and Television and Tourism reports that these events have positioned the concert economy as a “new engine” of urban consumption.

Daolang Concert: A Case Study

The “Where the mountain Songs Rings·Daolang 2025 Tour Concert” held from May 24-25, exemplified this trend. The concert drew “knife fans” from across the nation to Nanning. The event alone generated approximately 96 million yuan in economic growth. Notably, about 88.5% of the attendees were from outside nanning,and roughly 67% were over 50 years old.

According to tourism sampling surveys, an estimated 31,700 spectators gathered outside the venue, further contributing to the city’s economic activity.

Fan Testimonials: More Than Just Music

the impact of these concerts extends beyond mere ticket sales.Many attendees are discovering and falling in love with Nanning. One “knife fan” from Shenzhen remarked, Nanning is so great, the atmosphere here is very good. he added that he found Nanning to have a good environment, delicious and cheap food, leading him to fall in love with the city.

Another fan, Ms. li from Wuhan, shared her experience: Nanning half of the city is green and half of the city tower, the air is fresh and comfortable and pleasant. She and her friends drove to Nanning for the Daolang concert and planned to spend over half a month exploring Nanning and its surroundings. Ms. Li noted that county tours, health and wellness tours and other travel methods that have a sense of relaxation and vacation are more popular among middle-aged and elderly people.

Economic Impact: By the numbers

Nanning’s tourism data underscores the significant economic boost from these events. From May 23-25, the city welcomed over 1.25 million tourists, resulting in 1.373 billion yuan in tourism consumption. Catering consumption doubled, and shopping consumption exceeded 960 million yuan.

Nanning’s Strategy: Turning Traffic into Retention

Nanning is actively working to capitalize on this momentum. The city plans to host 40 concerts this year as part of the 2025 Nanning Concert Carnival. the goal is to integrate concerts with tourism, commerce, sports, and other sectors, creating a virtuous cycle of promoting tourism with culture, promoting commerce with tourism, and leading the body with business.

To enhance the visitor experience, Nanning has introduced 48 “fan-spoken” measures focusing on consumption scenarios such as scenic spots, catering, supermarkets, and public transportation. The city aims to foster a synergistic affect, ensuring that the benefits of the concert economy extend beyond the venue.

The city plans to deepen the integrated progress of cultural tourism + hundreds of industries and hundred industries + cultural tourism, striving to cultivate new hot spots for night cultural tourism, sports, and business consumption. This includes driving innovation in night cultural tourism formats and content product upgrades to ensure the long-term empowerment of the concert economy.

Expert Outlook

Wu Shouping, deputy director, associate researcher, and senior economist of the Institute of Urban Development, Nanning Academy of Social Sciences, emphasizes the broader economic impact of concerts. A concert not only brings ticket revenue, but also leverages the industrial chains such as transportation, accommodation, catering, and retail, achieving a win-win situation for cultural and economic benefits.

nanning’s practice has proved that concert economy is not only a carnival for young people, but also a cultural feast shared by all ages. With the continuous release of the potential of silver-hailing economy, it is recommended that cities work hard in content supply, service innovation, and industrial linkage in the future, so that the story of “one concert brings a city to life” will continue to write a new chapter of more diverse and inclusiveness.

Wu Shouping, Nanning Academy of Social Sciences