Superstar Taylor Swift’s Eras tour has sparked a surge in European air travel for this summer.
United Airlines, one of the major carriers, has reported a significant increase in travel demand to popular European destinations such as Lisbon, Portugal, and Madrid, Spain, over the Memorial Day weekend, SchengenNews reports.
This surge, estimated to be around 25 per cent higher than last year, is a direct result of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, which has ignited a travel frenzy among her fans. Similar increases are expected in other cities where the tour will be held in the coming weeks, including Madrid, Edinburgh, and Dublin.
Surge in EU Air Travel From US Is Expected Throughout the Summer
Such growth is also expected to continue this summer as American fans tend to go to European concerts – where concert tickets are significantly cheaper than domestic tour dates. Due to high demand and restrictive resale rules, tickets for a Taylor Swift concert fetch more than $1,000.
The destination that has experienced the largest increase in passengers is Milan – with a 45 per cent increase in demand for the debut of the Swift in July compared to last year. The airline flies to all these cities from its East Coast hubs in Newark and Dulles, with several other destinations also connected from its other hubs in San Francisco, Denver, Chicago’s O’Hare and Houston.
According to CNN, Delta Air Lines said it is prepared as it flies its most significant international summer schedule, adding destinations and restoring routes that were cut due to the pandemic.
Delta and United Airlines both said they are preparing to fly about three million people over the Memorial Day weekend, which runs from Thursday to the following Monday, a five per cent increase from last year.
At the same time, Airlines for America, a group representing major US airlines, is predicting a record number of passengers this summer, with companies expected to fly 270 million passengers – six per cent more than in 2023.
About 1 Million People to Attend Taylor’s Concert Show in UK This Summer
The impact of Taylor Swift’s tour on the economy is not to be underestimated. The latest data reveals that over one million fans, known as Swifties, will attend her UK shows this summer.
Each fan is expected to spend an average of £642 ($810) on travel, accommodation, and other expenses, injecting a staggering total of £755m ($953m) into the economy. This surge in spending is a testament to the power of celebrity tours in driving tourism and boosting local businesses.
In January this year, Amadeus flight search data revealed that international searches for travel to Paris, France, increased by 21 per cent, especially around Era’s 2024 tour dates. Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and the USA are also included in the countries that experienced the same trend of increasing flights.
