Last year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publically pleaded with Taylor Swift, urging her to bring her Eras Tour to Canada. It is now her final stop on a tour that has grossed over $1 billion USD worldwide.
Swift began the Canadian leg of the tour with six sold-out shows in Toronto in November. The city showed its enthusiasm for her arrival, renaming a street downtown “Taylor Swift Way” and deploying Toronto Police Mounted Unit horses decked out in friendship bracelets. Ahead of the shows, many fans waited in the cold for hours outside the Rogers Centre, hoping to purchase Eras Tour merchandise ahead of the star’s arrival.
Toronto economy: Taylor’s version
Destination Toronto says Toronto’s feverish devotion to the star has translated to $152 million in direct spending, with total economic impact estimated at $282 million.
They also reported that 93 per cent of this revenue came from out-of-town visitors to the city.
Lorn Sheehan, a professor in the faculty of management at Dalhousie University, who specializes in tourism research, emphasized the value of these out-of-town guests.
“They’re going to Toronto and Vancouver to see the Taylor Swift concert, but while they’re here, they’re often people who have decent incomes, and they have the free time, so they’re going to shop at some point in the trip,” said Sheehan. “So even our retail sector of the economy benefits from tourism.”
This economic boost also brought in an estimated $40 million in tax revenue.
Fans face scams and high accommodation prices
Some fans were not afraid to empty their wallets for the chance to see one of Swift’s six sold-out shows. Some desperate fans even bought tickets being resold in nosebleed sections for upwards of $2,000. Halton Regional Police issued a warning about possible ticket scams, encouraging residents to exercise “extreme caution” when purchasing tickets after receiving multiple fraud complaints.
The intense enthusiasm from fans has also translated into several fan experiences popping up around the city. One of the biggest fan events, Toronto’s Version: Taylgate ‘24, was estimated to have attracted over 60,000 attendees. The event allowed fans to connect with each other and enjoy the tour without having tickets to the concert. It also gave Swifties, who couldn’t otherwise afford to buy tickets, a chance to participate in the fun.
“It seems like the prices have just soared. Hotel prices have soared,” said Sheehan. “You can look and say, well, it’s very unfortunate that people, some people, might find it difficult to afford. And I have heard people reselling tickets because they simply can’t afford the hotel rooms now. So from some of the fans’ perspective, that’s a little disappointing.”
Prices for hotel rooms and accommodations skyrocketed in Toronto and Vancouver, with some hotel rooms being priced 10 times higher than at the same time last year.
Despite disappointment surrounding high costs for concertgoers, the benefits for the Canadian economy, and Swift fans alike, have proved significant.
Next stop, Vancouver
Sheehan said he believes the pop star’s appearances in Canada could help bring more big names to the country.
“It’ll give Toronto and Vancouver the confidence to probably host other sorts of major international entertainers and performers when they are looking for a place to host their events. It’ll give them a greater degree of comfort that [performers] can go to Toronto, or can go to Vancouver. [The cities] understand what the needs are going to be,” said Sheehan.
The Eras Tour has one more stop in Vancouver, where Swift will be playing BC Place on Dec. 6, 7 and 8. Her last three shows are expected to draw in 150,000 fans. Destination Vancouver estimates that the final week of Swift’s tour will have a total economic impact of $157 million on the city.
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