Taylor Swift, $2.2 Billion Eras Tour Entertainer

Business travel was far from immune from the phenomenon that is Swiftonomics—the well-documented financial impact of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour rolling into town. To get the obligatory song reference out of the way early, it proved a Cruel Summer for accommodation rates. JLL Hotel & Hospitality Group estimates the tour has generated $1 billion in additional revenue for hotels since it began in March 2023. 

This year, publicly available hotel rates doubled in Australian cities on the nights Swift performed and tripled in Dublin. The average nightly rate during her three gigs in Edinburgh was £686, with demand for rooms exceeding supply by 25 percent. The U.S. Travel Association described the effect on hotel and travel during the U.S. leg of her tour as equivalent to the Super Bowl taking place on 53 nights in 20 different cities. American Express Global Business Travel global hotel consulting lead Cameron Spence has made something of a study of Swiftonomics. During the months Swift performed in Edinburgh, Lyon and Warsaw, his research shows the average rate paid in those cities by corporate guests was 13 percent higher year on year. New Orleans was up 11 percent and London 9 percent. Bear in mind these figures are for the entire month, not just the specific nights Swift was playing.  

Moreover, Swift usually performed at weekends while corporate travelers were staying during the week. What exacerbated the rate effect was that Swift tended to play more nights at a smaller number of venues, meaning fans had to travel farther to see her—and many made a multi-night party of it while they were there. “It allowed hotels to build a revenue strategy around her performances,” said Spence. “They could take a more holistic view of before, during and after her visit.” 

Spence isn’t sure anyone else has quite the same pulling power as Taylor Swift but warns travelers to avoid certain cities in the UK next summer when 1990s superstars Oasis play their reunion tour. Cardiff is already 73 percent booked for the night of one of their gigs in July, for example, a figure Spence described as “astonishing.” 

As for how travel buyers can counteract Swiftonomics, the whirlwind is so extreme “it can be difficult to mitigate,” said Spence. Normal good practice like negotiating discounts on best available rate will help a little but his main advice is to “have a strong communications strategy. Let your travellers know that if they are intending to travel on those dates, please consider alternative options, or get it booked in asap.”