How Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ is changing travel | CNN

‘Far-reaching implications for the hotel industry’

Over the last decade, Taylor Swift has had a transformative effect on the music and entertainment industries. But the megastar, who is currently in the South American leg of her blockbuster The Eras Tour – a multi-continent extravaganza that could end up as the highest-grossing tour of all time – is also drastically shaping the world of travel.

It’s difficult to overstate “the Taylor Swift effect,” a term that generally describes the powerful impact of the 33-year-old musician on consumer behavior, on an industry that in many ways is still recalibrating from the effects of the pandemic.

Hotels in cities visited by the tour are reporting breaking occupancy records, even at higher rates due to surging demand. Many are also incorporating unique Swift-centric promotions, events and activations to further entice fans. LATAM Airlines waived change fees for passengers following a recently postponed concert; Air New Zealand added 2,000 extra seats to its network around Swift’s shows (and cleverly named some flights NZ1989, a nod to her fifth studio album). And destinations where Swift performs reap such an enormous economic benefit that political leaders like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau practically beg for Swift to tour in their countries.

On a more personal level, Swifties – her famously loyal legions of fans – are traveling in new ways to new places for what many call a once-in-lifetime chance to see the performer live on stage.

“Quite simply, this is the biggest cultural event around which people are planning travel in a generation,” says Brittany Hodak, a Franklin, Tennessee-based customer experience expert and author of “Creating Superfans: How to Turn Your Customers Into Lifelong Advocates.”

“And, unlike a sporting event like the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics that’s concentrated in a few geographic locations, The Eras Tour is boosting travel and tourism across the globe. It’s no wonder we’ve seen world leaders openly campaign for tour stops within their countries.”

‘The tourism impact of Swift’s The Eras Tour has been nothing short of staggering’

The tourism impact of Swift’s The Eras Tour has been nothing short of staggering, with the economic boost generated in certain US cities eclipsing the entire GDP of some small countries. Lighthouse (formerly OTA Insights), a Denver-based provider of data for the travel and hospitality industry, describes Eras as “a hospitality phenomenon” in a study it published in August.

One often-cited statistic is the whopping $5 billion that Swifties collectively spent across the United States in connection with The Eras Tour. However, the U.S. Travel Association says a more accurate figure is $10 billion or more in total economic impact.

In addition, STR, which provides data and analytics around the global hospitality industry, estimated that hotels pulled in $208 million in revenue following Swift’s US shows over the summer, also noting that figure was “conservative” because it accounted only for Swift’s 53 concert nights, not extended fan stays and other factors.

Some destinations that have benefited from such a massive windfall are eagerly sharing the results. In Pittsburgh, Swift’s concerts on June 16 and 17 generated $46 million in direct spending, with 83% of attendees coming from outside the county, according to a news release from Visit Pittsburgh. The city’s hotel occupancy, meanwhile, averaged 95% — the highest since the pandemic and the second-highest weekend occupancy on record­­.

Not surprisingly, such outsized demand has also resulted in higher consumer prices. Aggregating data from 13 tour stops in North America, Lighthouse found an average bump of 7.7% for hotel room prices the month prior to Swift’s tour compared to the same month in the previous year, and prices 7.2% higher during the month of the tour.

“The fact that a single music tour can significantly influence average pricing in major U.S. cities for an entire month underscores the magnitude of this tour and its far-reaching implications for the hotel industry,” the study states.

RateGain, a global provider of travel and hospitality data, also noted a “long-tail effect” on tour destinations as travelers create what it and others have coined “Swift-cations.”

“Her concerts have brought so much noise that in addition to her being the center of attention, the destination is becoming the center of attention,” Peter Strebel, president of RateGain’s Americas region, tells CNN Travel.

As an example, Strebel points to Buenos Aires, where Swift performed the first three shows of her South American tour – and described it as “the best decision possible” on social media platform X. Hotel bookings in the Argentine capital are still “soaring,” even after the concert dates, according to RateGain data. Strebel also notes that if the trend follows, Buenos Aires may be on par to break all its hotel occupancy records in the coming weeks.

It’s a murkier picture for the Eras’ next stop, Rio de Janeiro, where recent headlines around Swift’s concerts have hit a rare somber note following the death of a fan, the cause of which has been attributed to extreme heat in the stadium where Swift performed. The pop star postponed her next show just hours beforehand, saying the heat was unsafe, a move that received some criticism from disappointed fans who had already arrived.

However, from a tourism perspective, Swift’s Rio appearances started off on a bejeweled note. The 12-time Grammy winner received a warm welcome to the popular coastal city via its world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue, which sported a projection that made the landmark look like it was wearing a T-shirt inspired by the one Swift wore in her “You Belong With Me” music video. It was also decorated with symbols from her songs and the names of Brazilian states.

In her first Rio show, Swift told the sold-out crowd it was “sort of the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me” as her fans screamed and applauded.

From Swift-inspired cruises to candle-making classes

Beyond enjoying record occupancy levels thanks to Eras tour stops – especially following several downturn years during the pandemic – many hotels have gone a step further to create an unforgettable fan experience.

Loews Hotels, for one, created bespoke pre-concert events at several properties, including Atlanta and Nashville, complete with Swift-inspired cocktails, playlists and backdrops for social media photos. Loews Arlington also hosted the popular “13: A Taylor Swift Fan Podcast” as part of a sold-out pre-concert party featuring themed cocktails and bracelet-making, a spokesperson for Loews Hotels & Co told CNN Travel via email.

Even without a concert date in their city, some hotels have capitalized on Swift’s mega fandom alone to fill special events – like the Eras-themed, pop-up candle-making classes at Conrad New York Downtown, a luxury

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs Addressed:

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
4. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
5. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Targets Identified:

• Target 8.9: By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
• Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all
• Target 11.4: Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage
• Target 12.8: By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
• Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

Indicators:

• Indicator 8.9.1: Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate
• Indicator 9.1.1: Proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road
• Indicator 11.4.1: Total expenditure (public and private) per capita spent on the preservation, protection, and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by type of heritage (cultural, natural, mixed, and World Heritage Centre designation), level of government (national, regional, and local/municipal), type of expenditure (operating expenditure/investment)
• Indicator 12.8.1: Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development, including gender equality and human rights, are mainstreamed at all levels in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
• Indicator 17.17.1: Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships

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Source: cnn.com

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