Artists are the most underused asset in tourism
Artists do more than perform. They absorb, interpret, and reflect the places they move through. In doing so, they create…
Artists do more than perform. They absorb, interpret, and reflect the places they move through. In doing so, they create meaning—not just visibility. What they offer is something tourism marketing often struggles to manufacture: a genuine sense of connection, grounded in lived experience and felt emotion.
Tourism organizations invest heavily in telling the story of a place.
They fund campaigns. They host media trips. They work with influencers to capture attention and shape perception. The goal is clear: attract visitors, encourage longer stays, and create meaningful experiences that people will remember—and return to.
Artists are already doing this work.
They travel from community to community. They spend time in different places. They interpret what they encounter and translate it into something others can feel. They build relationships with audiences, one room at a time. And increasingly, they share those experiences through their own platforms, reaching people far beyond the venue.
Artists are booked to perform. Tourism campaigns are built to promote. The connection between them—if it exists at all—is often incidental.
This is a missed opportunity.
Because artists are not just performers. They are interpreters of place. They create meaning, not just visibility. They offer something that tourism marketing often struggles to achieve: a sense of authenticity, connection, and emotional resonance.
And they do it in a way that is relational, not transactional.
Right now, most touring models are designed around efficiency. The goal is to move artists from one place to another, deliver a performance, and continue on. Time in each community is limited. Opportunities for deeper engagement are often constrained by schedules, budgets, and expectations.
From a logistical standpoint, this makes sense.
From the perspective of audience development—and from the perspective of tourism—it leaves a lot on the table.
What if touring was designed differently?
What if each stop on a tour included not only a performance, but time for artists to engage with the community, experience the place, and respond creatively to what they encounter? What if those experiences were shared outward—not as polished marketing assets, but as genuine reflections of place?
This kind of approach would not be suitable for every artist, nor for every tour. But for those who are inclined toward connection, curiosity, and collaboration, it opens up a different set of possibilities.
It allows artists to become ambassadors—not in a promotional sense, but in a relational one.
It allows audiences to experience artists not just on stage, but in context.
And it allows places to be seen through a different lens: one shaped by lived experience, not just curated messaging.
There is also a longer-term opportunity here.
Touring does not automatically lead to audience growth. A single performance may create a moment of connection, but without continuity, that connection often fades. When artists move quickly from place to place, there is little opportunity to build familiarity or deepen engagement over time.
But when touring is designed to foster relationships—with communities, with local artists, and with the places themselves—it can begin to function differently.
It can create pathways for return. It can build recognition across regions. It can contribute to a broader system of audience development that extends beyond any single event.
At the same time, tourism is shifting.
Travellers are increasingly looking for experiences that feel meaningful and grounded. They want to connect with local culture. They are seeking personal enrichment, not just entertainment. They are asking not only where to go, but what they can experience while they are there.
The arts already meet these needs.
The question is not whether artists can contribute to tourism. It is whether we are willing to design systems that allow that contribution to take shape.
This requires collaboration between sectors that have not always worked closely together. It requires new ways of thinking about touring, programming, funding, and partnership. It requires a shift from short-term promotion toward longer-term relationship-building.
It also requires recognizing the value that artists already bring.
Not just as performers, but as storytellers, connectors, and participants in the life of a place.
Artists may be one of the most underused assets in tourism.
But unlocking that potential will take more than inviting them into existing structures. It will require building new ones—ones that make space for connection, creativity, and exchange.
