Taylor Swift fans dubbed “Swifties” filled the Anfield Stadium in Liverpool last weekend for her three-night show which saw more than 150,000 fans visit the city in the period.
However, it wasn’t just locals amongst the crowd, with people often travelling the world to see a glimpse of the poster.
Expedia’s recent survey found that nearly 70 percent of survey respondents said they are more likely to travel to a concert outside their own town.
Forty percent said they’d travel for a concert as an excuse to visit a new place too and would pay on average £405 to see their favourite artist live.
According to Expedia, travel searches for Liverpool from Americans and Canadians increased by 875 percent over last year, likely due to Swift announcing her tour dates in the city.
Searches for Warsaw in Poland was another popular tour date, followed by Liverpool, Cardiff and Vienna.
Taylor has also become a major driver for local economies in lesser-known cities such as Liverpool which had the “Taylor Town” trail throughout the city, showcasing 11 art installations.
Expedia also said that for every city on her European tour, the first date in each city is the one with the highest travel searches.
This is evident in the fact that Taylor is heading back to Wembley Stadium to play another five nights in August following her three June dates.
It isn’t just Taylor who is driving business for tourism, with stars including Dua Lipa, Jonas Brothers and Kings of Leon also driving tourism.
Unexpected places on Expedia’s list of top tourism destinations included Kuala Lumpur, Edmonton, Canada and Mexico City.
Dua Lipa is due to play in Kuala Lumpur in November, whilst the likes of Snoop Dog, PINK, Kings of Leon and Metallica are set to play in Edmonton, Canada.
Mexico City is welcoming the Jonas Brothers in August, Niall Horan in September and The Killers in October as well as Blink182 and Iron Maiden.
While hotel prices are sky-high in major cities, the most affordable destinations to catch your favourite artists this year include the above cities.
With the average hotel night costing just $91 (£72) a night in Kuala Lumpur and $108 (£85) in Edmonton, Canada, fans can save big by travelling to these locations.
Other top artists driving travel this summer include Justin Timberlake, Olivia Rodrigo and Usher. In fact, Justin Timberlake’s concert in Amsterdam and Munich this summer drove higher demand than Taylor.
Amsterdam travel searches are up 110 percent for the singer, versus only 20 percent for Swift.
Expedia has also shared some valuable tips and travel tools to help save on any of your trips, making the most of your time at the destination.
The company recommended looking at midweek dates rather than weekends and considering less mainstream destinations, with Saturday being one of the most expensive days to see an artist when looking at hotel prices and flights.
It is also recommended to set up flight alerts if looking to travel abroad, and if so, choose an early morning flight.
According to Expedia’s 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report, flights after 3pm are 50 percent more susceptible to cancellations than their earlier counterparts.
