Musical performances in the Hebridean experience economy

Abstract

In a world of increasingly undifferentiated goods and services experiences are said to be the next source of value-adding economic opportunity. Experiences differ from all other economic offerings by being inherently embodied and personalised and the experiences that can attach the most value will be those that are the most engaging and transformative. The experiential and transformational nature of tourism, and particularly island tourism, leads it to be a potential growth sector within an Experience Economy. This article explores how islanders within the Outer Hebrides of Scotland are (co-)creating engaging experiences through music performances in the form of festivals, ceilidhs, and bar sessions to increase tourism spend. This bottom-up approach to socio-economic development is novel in this context as musical performances in the Outer Hebrides have long been tied to the Gaelic language and culture. However, until recently they have not been considered a consumable economic offering. This article explores how using the lens of the Experience Economy offers new insights for islanders to generate tourism spend on their own terms.