A massive crowd of music fans packs the venue of a music festival in Rizhao, East China's Shandong province, on Oct 6. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

　　A growing number of Chinese localities are rolling out targeted policies designed to transform large-scale concerts and cultural events into fresh economic engines, as these events have emerged as catalysts that generate ripple effects across hospitality, dining, transportation and retail sectors, analysts said.

　　The recently released outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) has identified the expansion of culture, sports and tourism consumption as a key priority, calling for optimized approval processes for commercial performances and sporting events — a signal that China's multibillion yuan concert economy is entering a new phase of quality-driven growth.

　　Fans from other cities traveling for a show might spend on flights, hotels, meals, souvenirs and even extend their trips to explore local attractions, said Jiang Zhao, associate researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

　　"What begins as a single transaction becomes a cascade of economic activity," Jiang said.

　　According to a report released in January by the China Association of Performing Arts, large-scale performances generate an average multiplier effect of 1:6.85 for other forms of consumption.

　　This multiplier effect means that for every 1 yuan ($0.14) spent on a concert ticket, nearly 7 yuan of additional consumption is generated in surrounding spending scenarios.