UN Tourism has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle (UMHL), the hospitality venture powered by Universal Music Group (UMG), and the Center for Music Ecosystems (CME). The partnership aims to utilise the influence of music tourism to drive economic growth and job creation, with a specific focus on economies with high growth potential.

The agreement was announced during the UN Tourism General Assembly in Riyadh. It establishes the creative industries as a major transformative force for community empowerment and economic growth through the travel sector.

The partnership will draw on the influence of global entertainment figures, including the newly appointed UN Tourism Ambassador, Khabane Lame. Lame, one of the world’s most influential digital creators with over 250 million social media followers, will help amplify the work to the global creative community. This is intended to encourage recognition of music as a viable path to entrepreneurship, job creation, and economic mobility.

UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili commented on the alliance: “Tourism is at its strongest when it amplifies creativity. By uniting the creative and tourism sectors, we can strengthen local capacity, unlock innovation, and ensure the benefits of culture and music reach communities everywhere.”

The potential for accelerated economic growth by combining music and tourism is substantial. Tourism currently accounts for one in every nine jobs globally, and music tourism is estimated to reach a value of $267 billion by 2030. Despite this value, music tourism remains a niche sector. The policies, investments, and networks required for expansion, particularly in emerging markets, are currently not optimised.

Robert Lavia, CEO of UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle, said the partnership will help address this gap. “Music has an unmatched power to attract travelers, energize cities, and create opportunity,” he stated. Lavia added: “UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle was founded on the idea that music has the power to shape economies and unite communities. By identifying and investing in cultural hubs around the world, we’re not just creating destinations, we’re amplifying the creative energy that drives tourism, inspires pride, and generates lasting economic impact. This partnership with UN Tourism to enable CME to accelerate its work in music tourism will demonstrate music’s power to deliver economic growth for communities everywhere.”

The core objective of the partnership is to align efforts and generate new data, research, and evidence to position music tourism as a key driver of local economic development.

CME will issue a series of reports in the coming year to further detail the potential of music tourism. This data will be applied by UMHL, which is currently developing hotels and creative hubs worldwide, to support all UN Tourism stakeholders and signatories. The partnership broadens CME’s work in the music economy, adding music tourism to its mission of establishing the path, partnerships, and policies to accelerate the impact of music to eradicate poverty by creating jobs and improving local economic conditions.