Taylor Swift’s three weekend shows at the Superdome seem to have pushed New Orleans into a new era, you could even say the city has entered its Taylor Swift Era.
Not only did Taylor Swift and her fans bring joy and glitter to New Orleans, but they turned that glitter into gold and brought forth new economic heights to the city.
According to Greater New Orleans Inc., Taylor Swift’s economic impact is so immense that the term “Swiftonomics” has been coined.
Taylor Swift’s economic impact on New Orleans during one weekend
Nearly 200,000 tickets were sold for Taylor Swift’s three shows over the weekend in New Orleans, and according to Greater New Orleans Inc., that’s 65,000 tickets sold per night.
From ticket sales alone, the revenue brought in is close to $200 million, and that’s not including additional revenue from merchandise sales, restaurant and hotel earnings, as well as additional tourism expenses.
Additional revenue aside from ticket sales
When factoring additional expenses spent throughout New Orleans by concert goers, the estimated overall revenue for the weekend is said to be around $500 million. This estimated sum is from three nights alone and, for the sake of comparison, Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans bring in about $900 million over the span of two weeks.
Regarding merchandise sales, the demand for items was so great that merch sales opened on Wednesday, which was two days before the first show. According to the U.S. Travel Association, an estimated additional $1,300 is spent by each Taylor Swift concert goer.
New Orleans hotels and restaurants were filled with concert attendees, and New Orleans & Company recorded 100% occupancy on the nights of Friday and Saturday, and then 80% occupancy on Sunday night. These percentages were taken from around 26,000 hotel accommodations found throughout the Central Business District, French Quarter and Warehouse district in New Orleans.
The U.S. Travel Association also estimated that the total impact of Swift’s Eras Tour in the U.S. could exceed $10 billion in revenue when indirect spending of consumers who may have not actually attended the concerts, but engaged in spending around the time of the events, is factored in.
Weekend concerts served as trial-run for New Orleans city projects
Greater New Orleans Inc. also says that another benefit of Swift’s Eras Tour in New Orleans was that the events served as a trial-run for infrastructure systems that are in-development for the upcoming Super Bowl LIX.
In New Orleans, majority of the Poydras Corridor infrastructure has been resurfaced, the Superdome’s upgraded internet service was tested, Duncan Plaza became a cultural and rideshare site, and a reinvigorated French Quarter has been described as ‘the safest it has ever been.’
