Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is expected to be one of the highest-grossing tours of all time, but its impact reaches beyond tickets and merch, as fans splurge on travel, lodging, clothes, and makeup to attend.
Her fans’ (known as Swifties) extravagance could point to a larger trend of consumers indulging in experiences they missed during years of cooped-up pandemic living. And that's turning out to be really good news for numerous different businesses.
Each stop on the Eras Tour has enjoyed, or is preparing for, a financial bonanza as Swifties cross state lines to attend whatever shows they could get tickets for. In Glendale, Arizona, hotel rates soared when fans visited from around the world, temporarily renamed itself “Swift City.”
Meanwhile, Swift’s three-night stay in Houston resulted in the city’s highest hotel revenue week of 2023, jacking up prices even more than the NCAA’s Final Four men's basketball tournament. Everywhere she goes, hotels sell out.
The celebration dollars don't stop there. Fans want to look good for the shows, so they’re shelling out for bejeweled boots, sparkly tops, custom jackets, and hair and makeup. And major retailers like Amazon and Poshmark are doing in roaring trade in Eras outfits.
Taylor Swift's tour may could quite possibly be the first-ever to gross a billion dollars. She makes around $10 million a night on this tour, which Bloomberg says will net her around $600 million with her current schedule… but she hasn’t booked any overseas dates yet.
Quite how much the ripple-effect generates from Swifties is yet to be quantified. It’s Taylor’s world. We just live in it.