Taylor Swift’s shows boosts economies (Image: AP)
The singer, 33, who is currently on the Argentina leg of her world tour which reaches Britain in June next year is causing a global spending spree.
American cities that have already hosted her concerts have said it has massively helped them recover from the economic toll of the pandemic by bringing back tourists and their wallets.
The Eras Tour, which started in March and ended in the US in August is on track to become the biggest in concert history.
It has a projected gross of $2.2 billion in North American ticket sales alone and has led to hundreds of millions of download streams, reaching a nearly 80% spike in those listening to her music catalog in the weeks after the tour kicked off.
It filled football stadiums that hold more than 70,000 people, and with the singer staying in each town or city for several days, it has given local businesses time to soak up the Swift money.
The tour has become the perfect outing for concert-goers itching for a post-pandemic live music immersive experience.
“We are in an experience economy where people crave going out and participating in social events,” said Alice Enders, a music industry analyst at Enders Analysis and a former senior economist at the World Trade Organization.
“It’s no surprise that people are flocking to this Eras Tour experience in what is increasingly an otherwise digital environment we live in.” And the Swift economic bandwaggon has now hit South America.
She is playing to packed crowds at River Plate’s Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. At her concert there on Thursday night she seemingly admitted that she’s “falling in love” while singing to thousands of fans.
The hitmaker is currently dating Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, 34, with the pair’s romance heating up day by day. And as the singer embarks on the international leg of her sold-out tour, it has been claimed that the NFL star will fly out to Argentina to see his girlfriend.
Singing the track on Thursday night, Taylor sang: “Uh-oh, I’m fallin’ in love / Oh no, I’m fallin’ in love again / Oh, I’m fallin’ in love / I thought the plane was goin’ down / How’d you turn it right around?”
Fans were very quick to point out how Taylor appeared to smile in a giddy way while singing the chorus, with one person sharing some screen grabs from a live stream of the gig, penning: “I’M NOT CRYING AT THE WAY SHE SMILED AT ‘OH, I’M FALLING IN LOVE.,” hinting at her romance with Travis.
“I hope they are forever,” penned one fan in the comments on X, formerly known as Twitter, while another said: “SHE’S HAPPY AND IN LOVE IF YOU DON’T LIKE THAT JUST LEAVE.” A third then added: “Why am I giggling and kicking my feet rn it’s not even my relationship.”
“HEART EYES SHES SO SMITTEN,” penned a fourth. While a fifth said: “The charm of Travis Kelce,” and another said: “She’s so in love omgggg.”
Fans attend Taylor Swift’s concert (Image: Getty)
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Taylor Swift fans have already booked out hotels near several of the venues for the UK leg of the Eras tour next summer.
The budget hotel chain Travelodge said all of its hotels in Edinburgh, Liverpool and Cardiff were sold out for the days around the concerts in June 2024. A number of its hotels near Wembley Stadium – where Swift will perform on six nights in June and August – were also sold out on those dates.
“We have seen very strong demand from all corners of the UK for our hotels that are close to the venues where Taylor Swift is playing next year,” Travelodge said as it reported that this year’s Beyoncé and Harry Styles concerts had helped it achieve “record-breaking [financial] results” in the six months to the end of June.
“Locations such as Edinburgh, Liverpool and Cardiff are literally sold out. Our London hotels close to Wembley are literally sold out. As tickets for the Eras tour are like gold dust, Taylor Swift fans are certainly willing to travel miles across the UK to attend what is expected to be the highest grossing concert in history.”
And world leaders are determined to try and be part of the action.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric recently took to YouTube to make a plea to the renowned artist.
In a video shared with the public, he expressed his desire for Swift to include Chile in her Latin America tour. President Boric’s words resonated with the passionate Chilean Swifties, and he remains hopeful that the singer will respond positively to his invitation.
He remarked, “One day, she’ll listen to the Chilean Swifties, and I have no doubt she’ll come to Chile. Hopefully sometime within the next three years.”
Although Swift has scheduled shows in Brazil and Argentina, many neighbouring countries in South America were left out.
The mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, also joined the chorus of world leaders requesting Swift’s presence in their respective nations. He penned a letter to the singer, urging her to consider adding Hungary to her tour itinerary. To emphasize his plea Karácsony shared a picture of himself holding the heartfelt message on Instagram.
Despite his efforts, Swift has yet to respond, and no dates in Hungary have been added to the tour as of now.
