What Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour says about 'passion tourism'

Taylor Swift's European tour was apical of caput for Nikita Rao erstwhile readying wherever to spell for her family's yearly summertime vacation.

Rao, her hubby and 2 kids, who unrecorded successful Bethesda, Maryland, headed overseas this past weekend: They person tickets to the popular star's performance successful Amsterdam connected Thursday.

The household built a weeklong itinerary astir The Eras Tour event, spending a fewer days successful London earlier making their mode to the Netherlands for the show. They would person apt visited the 2 cities astatine immoderate constituent successful the future, but the Swift performance accelerated their timeline, said Rao, 43, who besides saw a show successful Cincinnati past twelvemonth with her daughter.

"My presumption connected it was, we should bash this — London and Amsterdam — due to the fact that she'll beryllium there," Rao said. "If I tin get tickets, that'll conscionable marque the full abrogation amazing," she said of her thought process.

It's not conscionable the Rao family.

Americans are flocking overseas to spot Taylor Swift, possibly the astir salient caller illustration of alleged "passion tourism," according to question experts.

Passion tourism revolves (unsurprisingly) astir people's passions. While spot is besides mostly important, these trips are mostly guided by idiosyncratic interest, hobby oregon a taste event, experts said.

This isn't a caller concept. In fact, determination are galore caller and upcoming examples: February's yearly Carnival festival successful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; April's total star eclipse successful North America; the 2024 Paris Olympics that commencement this month; and the ongoing UEFA European Football Championship (known arsenic the Euro Cup) successful Germany.

"Memorable events are driving question trends, whether it is for concerts oregon sporting events," Mastercard wrote recently successful its yearly question trends report.

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However, what distinguishes Taylor Swift concerts successful the realm of passionateness tourism is the wide involvement and enthusiasm among Americans who privation to question abroad, according to question agents.

"I've ne'er seen this excitement to question to spell spot an artist," said Jessica Griscavage, a question advisor and laminitis of Runway Travel.

The astir caller illustration that mightiness travel adjacent is simply a Spice Girls performance successful the 1990s, she said.

Griscavage, who enactment unneurotic the Rao family's itinerary, besides assembled a abstracted Swift-centered travel to Paris for a daughter, parent and grandmother.    

More than fractional of Americans, 53%, identify arsenic fans of Taylor Swift, according to a canvass by Morning Consult. About 16% see themselves "avid" fans.

"Beyoncé is big, too, but we don't usually get requests like, 'I person Beyoncé tickets for Europe and we privation to physique a travel astir it,'" said Sofia Markovich, a question advisor and laminitis of Sofia's Travel.

She assembled trips for 2 U.S. clients who had tickets for Taylor Swift shows successful England and Switzerland, respectively.

"Just arsenic Grateful Dead fans were known to travel the set from metropolis to metropolis to beryllium portion of a unsocial community, Swifties — often with friends and household successful tow — person made traveling to her concerts portion of the experience," Joshua Friedlander, vice president of probe astatine the U.S. Travel Association, wrote recently astir the alleged "Swift Lift."

About 15.9 cardinal Americans traveled internationally successful the archetypal 4th of 2024, an all-time high, according to Mastercard's question report. Consumers are besides spending for question astatine grounds levels globally, it said.

Passion tourism mostly provides an economical boost to big nations, experts said.

For example, spending by tourists astatine restaurants, bars and market stores during the 2024 Carnival successful Rio was 156% supra normal, Mastercard found. During the star eclipse, edifice income wrong the U.S. way of totality roseate 71%, it said.

About 1.2 cardinal fans volition spot a Taylor Swift performance this summertime crossed 4 cities successful the United Kingdom (Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London), according to a caller Barclays analysis. Each instrumentality will walk an mean 848 British pounds (about $1,073) connected tickets, travel, accommodation, outfits and different expenses, amounting to a full 997 cardinal British pounds (about $1.3 billion), Barclays estimated.

Accommodation accounts for the largest outlay aft tickets, followed by travel, according to the Barclays analysis.

Searches for Airbnb stays successful European cities during Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour dates are up astir 70% comparative to the aforesaid play successful 2023, according to a caller analysis.

Rome and Paris are traditionally among Americans' apical destinations to sojourn abroad. However, it's "inevitable" that Swift fans volition extremity up successful a metropolis they whitethorn person antecedently overlooked, similar Edinburgh, said Christopher Nulty, planetary caput of firm communications and nationalist affairs astatine Airbnb.

When tickets went connected merchantability past twelvemonth for Edinburgh performance dates, searches for lodging successful the metropolis by Americans jumped 500%, Nulty said.

A performance "combines the accidental to question determination unthinkable with the accidental to spot an creator they love," helium said.

The household economics of summons income are besides apt playing a role, experts said. Some Swifties who were priced retired of the U.S. marketplace owed to ticket expense whitethorn find it cheaper wide (or comparably priced) to bargain a summons and adhd connected the associated question expenses for a performance overseas.

"The resale tickets successful Europe are overmuch much tenable than what they are successful the U.S.," said Griscavage, the question advisor.

Additionally, "I deliberation there's thing truly breathtaking astir seeing her successful a non-U.S. city," she added. "It's a amusive accidental and radical are consenting to wage to spot her."