CHENNAI: Music, independent art and creative spaces can play a larger role in shaping India's tourism identity and attracting visitors, artists said at the Bharat Dekho Tourism Summit 2026 in Chennai on Tuesday, September 15.
Singer-actor Saras Menon, violinist-producer Shravan Sridhar and rapper Fault Kai came together for a session titled “The Arts Magnet: Creating Cultural Spaces”, which explored how music, art and creative communities can transform cities and regions into cultural destinations.
Menon highlighted the need for India to recognise the economic and cultural potential of its creative industries and take its cultural strengths to international audiences.
Drawing a comparison with South Korea, she said India could learn from the country's use of cultural exports to build its global identity.
“By exporting its culture to the world, South Korea, a country rebuilt after the war, has built a $19-billion industry around its cultural exports. We have to look at what they have achieved and recognise the potential we have. We need to come together and work towards exporting our culture to the world and making it a larger part of India's global identity,” Menon said.
She also spoke about the changing creative landscape in the age of artificial intelligence and emphasised the continuing importance of live experiences.
Violinist-producer Shravan Sridhar recalled “Government initiatives have literally left me beautifully lasting experiences all my life. One of them was the initiative by the Karnataka government called the Bangalore Hubba which happens over 15 days spread across the city. I was pleasantly surprised by such a large scale cultural event being put up by the government.”
The discussion also brought attention to independent artists and the role they can play in developing a city's cultural ecosystem.
Rapper Fault Kai stressed his preference for retaining creative independence in his work. “As an independent artist, I always prefer creating independent art pieces,” he said.
The session's broader message was that tourism need not be built only around monuments, heritage sites and conventional attractions.
Music, performances, artists and creative spaces can themselves become reasons for travellers to visit a destination, creating new avenues for cultural tourism.