Thousands of ardent Taylor Swift fans, who either missed her U.S. concert tour last year or were reluctant to pay exorbitant ticket prices for a repeat performance, have found an unconventional solution: traveling to Europe.
The pop star is poised to launch the 18-city European leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour in Paris on Thursday, and a significant number of Swifties plan to follow her across the pond in the coming weeks. Americans have snapped up 20% of the tickets for her four sold-out shows, according to the arena where Swift will perform. Stockholm, the tour's next stop, anticipates around 10,000 concertgoers from the U.S.
Traveling to a foreign country for a concert might seem unusual, especially when fans can watch the Eras Tour from home via the documentary now streaming on Disney+. However, online travel company Expedia has identified a trend it calls “tour tourism,” which emerged during Beyoncé's Renaissance world tour. Some North American fans have justified the expense of flying overseas for the Eras Tour after realizing that tighter restrictions on ticket fees and resales in Europe make seeing Swift perform abroad no more expensive—and potentially cheaper—than catching her in the U.S.
"For example, 'I can either spend $1,500 to go see my favorite artist in Miami, or I can take that $1,500 and buy a concert ticket, a round-trip plane ticket, and three nights in a hotel room,'” explained Melanie Fish, an Expedia spokesperson and travel expert.
Jennifer Warren, 43, from St. Catharines, Ontario, and her 11-year-old son are such fans but were unable to find reasonably priced tickets in the U.S. Undeterred, they planned a European vacation around wherever they could get seats, which turned out to be Hamburg, Germany.
"You get out, you get to see the world, and you get to see your favorite artist or performer at the same time, so there are a lot of wins to it," said Warren, who works as the director of research and innovation for a mutual insurance company. She secured three VIP tickets close to the stage for 600 euros ($646) each. Swift subsequently announced six November tour dates in Toronto, within driving distance of Warren's home, with even the highest seats already being resold for 3,000 Canadian dollars ($2,194).
The phenomenon of dedicated fans traveling with their favorite artists on tour is not new. The term "groupie" emerged in the late 1960s for ardent followers of rock bands, and more recently, music festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury, as well as concert residencies in Las Vegas, have attracted travelers to places they might not otherwise visit.
The trend seems to reflect a broader shift towards valuing experiences over material possessions, particularly since the pandemic. Natalia Lechmanova, the chief Europe economist for the Mastercard Economics Institute, believes Swift's tour will have a positive economic impact on restaurants, hotels, and retail in the cities she visits, similar to the boost seen in U.S. cities during her 2023 tour.
As Swift moves across Europe, Lizzy Hale, 34, from Los Angeles, and Mitch Goulding, 33, from Austin, Texas, are among those who already had tickets for the Eras Tour in L.A. last summer but decided to try for additional shows in Paris, London, or Edinburgh, Scotland, seeing a Europe concert trip as a makeup for canceled travel plans in May 2020 due to the pandemic. Goulding managed to secure VIP tickets for one of Swift's three Stockholm shows, and they scheduled a 10-day trip that also includes time in Amsterdam and Copenhagen.
“As people who enjoy traveling and enjoy music, if you can find an opportunity to combine the two, it's really special,” said Hale, who is pregnant with her first child.
The local economic impact of this trend, dubbed “Swiftonomics” and the “Swift lift,” can be significant. Airbnb reported a 337% increase in searches for U.K. cities where Swift is performing when tickets went on sale last summer. In Stockholm, 120,000 out-of-towners from 130 countries, including 10,000 from the U.S., are expected to visit during the May 17-19 shows, injecting around 500 million Swedish kroner (over $46 million) into the local economy.
Nightclubs, restaurants, and bars are taking advantage of the influx of fans with Taylor Swift-themed events such as karaoke, quizzes, and after-concert dance parties.
Caroline Matlock, 29, from Houston, saw Swift more than a year ago in Texas and is now preparing to see the 3 1/2-hour show in Stockholm, making friendship bracelets and trying to learn Swedish for the occasion. While initially hesitant, Matlock was persuaded by a friend's suggestion to see Swift in a country she hadn't visited before. Visiting Oslo and Gothenburg is also on their itinerary.
“I think this is an anomaly,” said travel consultant Kat Morga from Nashville, referring to the trend of building vacations around concerts. While she helped two clients book European family vacations this summer that include seeing Swift in concert, Morga believes the complexities of purchasing tickets internationally will limit the appeal of regular gig getaways.
Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel is also cautious about the impact of concert tours on tourism, suggesting that while the "Swift Effect" may cause a brief increase in travel to smaller destinations, it doesn't significantly impact global travel patterns.
It remains to be seen if the trend of music tourism will continue with other artists like Billie Eilish and Usher, who have world tours scheduled for next year. Expedia's Fish believes that other big-name artists touring Europe this summer will prove that booking a foreign trip around a concert is becoming more popular.