The Era-placeable Impact of Taylor Swift
If there is one person that can unite the world, it just might be Taylor Swift herself.
In December 2024, Swift wrapped the 149-show Eras Tour, which took place across 51 cities in 21 countries. As reported by The New York Times, more than 10.1 million Swifties shelled out over $2 billion on tickets to attend the nearly four hour long concerts.
The worldwide economic impact — the “Swiftonomics” — resulting from the 14-time Grammy winner’s tour left the cities she graced with much more than a catchy tune to remember her “All Too Well” by.
American ticket exchange and resale company StubHub’s annual Year in Live Experiences report revealed Swift’s tour was a top seller for the second year in a row globally. Aside from the draw to just see Swift, U.S. ticket buyers traveled to international events twice as much as they did in 2023, according to the report. The top five international cities that drew in the most U.S. visitors were Toronto, Madrid, Vancouver, London and Paris.
Following one of Swift’s shows that took place in Atlanta in April 2023, Nani Martin, 27, wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to the Eras Tour. A year later, the Georgia native, who grew up on Swift’s music, decided to book a flight to Paris, France, in May 2024 to experience the European leg of the tour, only this time with $300 pre-sale VIP floor tickets.
“We were so close, so did not want to leave our seats,” says Martin. “It was so intimate because it was a way smaller venue than Atlanta. The show also included ‘The Tortured Poet’s Department’ album, so it was nice to have a different element to the show than the Atlanta concert.”
Martin says Swift’s four-night stop in the city led to a Swiftie takeover in Paris, from bonding with new people from around the world to breaking out in song on the city’s metro train.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I got twice, and I can’t wait to tell my kids one day that I was a part of it,” she says. “We spent a pretty penny the rest of the trip as we made it into a whole experience, traveling to many other countries and eating our way through Europe.”
New Orleans
The Eras Tour landed in New Orleans, Louisiana, for three days at the Caesars Superdome on the final weekend of October 2024. Nearly 200,000 tickets were purchased across all three shows. Hotel occupancy in the city was recorded at 100% on both Friday and Saturday, with just over 80% on Sunday. Over five days, an estimated $1,200 to $1,500 was spent per attendee on merch sales.
“Those numbers do not reflect short-term rentals” nor Swiftie family and friends staying with residents, says New Orleans Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy Deputy Director Frederick “Wood” Delahoussaye. “Revenue from merch sales, hotel and restaurant earnings as well as additional tourism expenses had an estimated local impact in the neighborhood of $500 million.”
Tennessee resident Eliza Hill, 26, who says she was lucky enough to attend one of Swift’s Nashville shows on the first leg of the Eras Tour in 2023, made the nearly eight-hour trek to New Orleans when Swift added an extra show in the city.
“I drove to New Orleans and stayed at an Airbnb,” she says. Her trip to the city cost her at least $2,500 between tickets, the Airbnb, gas, food and drinks during her stay. The appeal to invest in another round of the Eras Tour, she says, was the way she got to experience every album and chapter of Swift’s life all in one concert, which featured 46 songs from her discography.
“It’s hard to put into words how magical the vibe is,” says Hill. “Everyone is so happy to be there that everyone feels united. Not to mention, the whole city of New Orleans was celebrating the Eras Tour, from themed drinks at most bars to Taylor blasting from every bar on Bourbon Street.”
As the city is set to host the upcoming Super Bowl LIX in February 2025, the arrival of the Eras Tour was a welcomed way to prepare for an influx of die-hard fans. The city created a Unified Command Group ahead of Swift’s debut, led by the U.S. Office of Homeland Security and the Office of Public Safety, to monitor activity taking place over the weekend.
“The Office of Cultural Economy partnered with ASM Global to establish a cultural and Rideshare zone at Duncan Plaza, which included a new festival activation entitled ‘Embrace the Culture Festival’ highlighting local artists, artisans and culture bearers,” says Delahoussaye. In addition, the city upgraded the internet service at the Superdome and in relevant downtown areas, all of which was considered a trial run for Super Bowl LIX.
To put the Swiftonomics in perspective, a 2023 Mardi Gras Economic Impact Study conducted by Tulane University Economics Professor Toni Weiss found that the globally renowned Carnival season brought an $891 million total direct and indirect impact to the city’s economy.
“The Taylor Swift Eras tour was another incredible example of what we’ve always known — New Orleans is a world class city and our ‘built to host’ reputation is beyond deserving,” says Delahoussaye. “Our city is primed and prepared for Super Bowl LIX and any other world class events and gatherings.”
Canada
Following Swift’s European stint, the Eras Tour made its final appearances in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada. The final shows took place in Vancouver over the first weekend of December at the city’s 54,500-capacity B.C. Place Stadium. Swift performed three sold-out shows in a row to 160,000 fans, providing an approximately $157 million economic boost to the city.
Before then, six shows took place in Toronto November 14-23 at the Rogers Centre, attracting about 240,000 attendees. This activity resulted in an estimated $282 million economic impact, according to Destination Toronto.
“Additionally, Moneris recently released their report showing that spending downtown surged by 45% during the concert period,” says Destination Toronto Senior Manager of Corporate Communications Kathy Motton. “Business travel is starting to wind down by late November and leisure holiday travel hasn’t quite picked up yet, so this impact came at a time that would normally be softer for local businesses.”
The rush of local and international travelers gave the team a unique chance to try out new initiatives to engage travelers in everything the city has to offer. “The citywide energy really showed Toronto at its best, and demonstrated the power of major events,” says Motton.
This level of fan engagement took place from the moment visitors arrived, as hotels, restaurants, bakeries and local businesses crafted special Swift-themed experiences to enjoy, resulting in an estimated $141 million in direct spending from out-of-town visitors and $11 million from local Swifties.
“When iconic artists like Taylor Swift, Beyonce, or more recently Oasis and Coldplay, pick Toronto, they are recognizing the large fan bases here but also the city’s connectivity to other markets,” Motton says. “Toronto has a long history of successfully hosting major events. Now that Taylormania has passed, we’ve got our eye on the FIFA World Cup ’26 where Toronto will play host to six matches, kicking off in June 2026.”
