Coachella Draws Nearly Twice As Many Air Travelers As Other Music Festivals

RICHMOND, Va., March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival®, more widely known as Coachella®, is bringing in 46 percent more travelers by air than South by Southwest® (SXSW®), and 89 percent more than Ultra Music Festival^™ this year, according to Allianz Global Assistance, a leading travel insurance and assistance company. Allianz Global Assistance analyzed customer trips to determine which popular U.S. festivals attracted the most travelers, and from which cities they are traveling.

From early March through late April, music and arts fans from all over the country will travel to participate in three of the top music festivals in the United States: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif.; Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Fla.; and South by Southwest (SXSW), in Austin, Texas.

Past Coachella festivals have drawn as many as 250,000 attendees from across the world, which means hundreds of thousands of people have bought festival tickets ranging from $429 to $1,000, not including the expense of travel to the festival, lodging and more. Tickets for Ultra Music Festival run from $380 to $1,500 per weekend. SXSW badges to access music, film, or interactive events through the festival cost $1,325 each, while a platinum badge to access all three types of events, is $1,650.

"Each year, Americans shell out thousands of dollars to participate in festivals across the country," said Daniel Durazo, director of communications for Allianz Global Assistance USA. "Allianz's Event Ticket Protector could reimburse up to 100 percent of the ticket price, including taxes and shipping, if you can't attend an event because you or a family member gets sick, your flight is delayed, you lose your job, or a number of other covered reasons, depending on the product. Alternatively, the right travel insurance plan can additionally protect other pre-paid, nonrefundable costs, like flights and hotels, and assist with travel disruptions, helping you get to your favorite performance in time to enjoy the festival stress-free."**

Festival tickets are often purchased months in advance, leaving a significant amount of time for unexpected events to occur leading up to the big event. According to Allianz's internal claims data, the top reason customers miss an event like a concert is due to a sudden illness, which often leaves little time to resell their tickets or transfer their registration.

SXSW, held March 8–17, 2019, is not solely a music festival but an annual conglomerate of film, interactive technology and music. This year the festival is drawing more air travelers from New York and Los Angeles than any other U.S. city. Noticeably missing from this list of top ten departure cities is San Francisco, the home of Silicon Valley's tech professionals, coming in as number 20 in departure cities for the festival.

The top five domestic departure cities for attendees traveling to Coachella include New York, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia and Boston. Weekend One and Two of Coachella are neck in neck for attendees, with 12.1 percent of air travelers arriving April 13, 2019 and 12 percent arriving on April 18, 2019.

Ultra Music Festival is drawing the most air travelers from cities including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington. Much of the crowd, 36.5 percent, will be traveling on March 27, two days ahead of the festival's opening day on Friday, March 29. 

Allianz Global Assistance offers event ticket protection** through most major event ticketing providers and travel insurance** through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies, other travel suppliers and directly to consumers. For more information on Allianz Global Assistance and the policies offered for travelers, please visit: http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com.

*Methodology: The data of U.S. travelers' Festival season plans was gathered by analyzing the number of travelers that went through the online booking process of airfare and package paths for partners offering Allianz Global Assistance travel to generate itineraries for roundtrip flights from US airports to specific locations based on the respective location or near the location of the festival.

Allianz Global Assistance USA  
Allianz Global Assistance USA is a leading consumer specialty insurance and assistance company with operation centers in 35 countries. In the United States, Allianz Global Assistance USA (AGA Service Company) serves 40 million customers annually and is best known for its Allianz Travel Insurance plans. In addition to travel insurance, Allianz Global Assistance USA offers tuition insurance, event ticket protection, registration protection for endurance events and unique travel assistance services such as international medical assistance and concierge services. The company also serves as an outsource provider for in-bound call center services and claims administration for property and casualty insurers and credit card companies.  

To learn more about Allianz Travel Insurance, please visit allianztravelinsurance.com or Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/AllianzTravelInsuranceUS. 

**Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply to all plans. Plans are available only to U.S. residents. Not all plans are available in all jurisdictions. For a complete description of the coverage and benefit limits offered under your plan, carefully review your plan's Letter of Confirmation/Declarations and Certificate of Insurance/Policy. Insurance coverage is underwritten by BCS Insurance Company (OH, Administrative Office: Oakbrook Terrace, IL), rated "A‐" (Excellent) by A.M. Best Co., under BCS Form Series Nos. 52.201, 52.203, 52.204, 53.205, or 52.401, or Jefferson Insurance Company (NY, Administrative Office: Richmond, VA), rated "A+" (Superior) by A.M. Best Co., under Jefferson Form Series Nos. 101-C, 101-P, 105-C, 105-P, or 107-P, depending on state of residence. Allianz Travel Insurance products are distributed by Allianz Global Assistance, a brand of AGA Service Company or its affiliates.  AGA Service Company is the licensed producer and administrator of these plans and an affiliate of Jefferson Insurance Company. The insured shall not receive any special benefit or advantage due to the affiliation between AGA Service Company and Jefferson Insurance Company. Noninsurance benefits/products are provided and serviced by AGA Service Company. "Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival" and "Coachella" are registered marks, belonging to Coachella Music Festival, LLC, "South by Southwes" and "SXSW" are registered marks belonging to SXSW, LLC, and "Ultra Musicfestival" and "Ultra Music Festival" are marks belonging to Ultra Enterprises Inc., which are all Non-Sponsors.  Marks not owned by AGA Service Company or its affiliates are used without permission.  Non-Sponsors do not sponsor or endorse AGA Service Company, its affiliates, or this advertisement, and AGA Service Company and its affiliates do not sponsor or endorse Non-Sponsors.

SOURCE Allianz Global Assistance USA

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