Thousands of devoted Taylor Swift fans who were unable to attend her U.S. concert tour last year or did not wish to pay high prices for tickets to see her again have found a unique solution: traveling to Europe.
The pop sensation is set to start the 18-city European leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour in Paris on Thursday, and groups of Swifties are planning to follow her across the pond in the upcoming weeks. The venue where Swift will be performing reported that Americans purchased 20% of the tickets for her four sold-out shows. Stockholm, the next stop on the tour, is expecting around 10,000 concert attendees from the U.S.
Attending a concert may seem like an unusual reason to visit a foreign country, especially when fans can watch the Eras Tour from the comfort of their homes through the documentary now available on Disney+. However, online travel agency Expedia has identified a trend they call “tour tourism,” noting that fans traveling across continents to see their favorite artists is becoming more common.
Some North American fans who are planning to fly to Europe for the Eras Tour have justified the expense by realizing that stricter regulations on ticket fees and resales in Europe make attending a Swift concert abroad just as affordable – or even cheaper – than seeing her closer to home.
Melanie Fish, a spokesperson and travel expert at Expedia, explained, “They said, ‘Wait a minute, 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.”
One fan, Jennifer Warren, from St. Catharines, Ontario, had difficulty finding reasonably priced tickets in the U.S. She and her family decided to plan a European vacation around wherever they could secure seats for the concert, which happened to be in Hamburg, Germany.
Warren, who works as a director for a mutual insurance company, noted the benefits of the experience, “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.”
The impact of fans traveling to follow their favorite artists on tour is not a new phenomenon. This trend has been seen at music festivals, concert residencies, and other events that attract fans to unique locations.
Observing the pent-up demand for experiences post-pandemic, travel and entertainment analysts believe that fans broadening their horizons for their favorite artists is part of a larger cultural shift.
As Taylor Swift travels across Europe, there is expected to be a boost in local economies near concert venues. Restaurants, hotels, and retail establishments are likely to benefit from the influx of concert attendees.
The trend of traveling for music experiences remains to be seen if it will continue with other artists like Billie Eilish, Usher, and more who have world tours scheduled for the next year. However, the popularity of booking trips around concerts seems to be growing in Europe this summer.
Associated Press
