RICHMOND, VA – July 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Entertainment is becoming a passport-worthy reason to travel, as Americans increasingly plan vacations around live experiences rather than traditional destinations. New data from Allianz Partners USA in their annual Vacation Confidence Index*, shares that more travelers than ever are hitting the road and the skies not just to relax, but to attend ticketed concerts, pop culture events, and live sports this summer.
The survey found that over half of Americans (63%) say they plan on attending at least one ticketed event this year, with 43% indicating plans to attend a ticketed sporting event. Meanwhile, nearly one in three (29%) say they’re traveling specifically to attend a major pop culture event, such as a fan convention, film premiere, or viral festival—up five percentage points from 2024. This sharp rise points to a shift in how Americans are valuing their time off, increasingly aligning vacation time with entertainment calendars.
“As travelers look to get more out of every trip, we’re seeing more journeys tied to live experiences that matter, whether it’s a bucket-list concert or a major sporting event,” said Emily Hartman, General Manager at Allianz Partners USA. “We’re proud to offer travel protection that not only protects the financial investment of the trip itself but also other out-of-pocket expenses like live events and other activities.”
The surge in travel for ticketed events comes on the heels of a record-breaking year in live entertainment, driven by the massive success of global tours from artists like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. These cultural phenomena not only sold-out stadiums in minutes but also sparked destination-driven travel, with fans flying across the country, and even internationally, to secure a seat. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour became a global travel event in itself, with hotel bookings, airfare, and local tourism spiking in every host city. As ticket prices soared and availability shrank, fans grew more willing to plan entire vacations around their favorite performers, fueling a new wave of experience-first travel that continues into 2025.
Event-driven travel aligns with broader lifestyle trends where younger generations are prioritizing these types of experiences. With more artists, teams, and creators returning to the road, travelers are embracing the chance to combine their passions with their PTO, often planning multiple trips around these shared cultural moments.
Event Ticket Protector from Allianz Partners can reimburse up to 100% of non-refundable ticket costs, up to $10,000, when an insured customer can’t attend their event for covered situations such as an unexpected covered illness or certain non-voluntary job losses. Event Ticket Protector also provides customers with access to 24/7 assistance through the company’s event hotline. Event Ticket Protector is offered by leading event ticket providers.
The Vacation Confidence Index has been conducted each summer since 2009 by national polling firm Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Allianz Partners USA. A vacation is defined as a leisure trip of at least one week to a place that is 100 miles or more from home.
Allianz Partners offers travel insurance through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies, hotel companies, cruise lines and directly to consumers. For more information on Allianz Partners and available travel policies, please visit http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/.
* *Methodology: These are the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Allianz Partners. For this survey, a sample of 2,005 Americans aged 18+ was interviewed from April 14 to 15, 2025 via the Ipsos Online Omnibus. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the results are accurate to within +/- 2.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had all American adults been polled. Quota sampling and weighting were employed in order to balance demographics and ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the actual U.S. population, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Credibility intervals are wider among subsets of the population.