NEWS
| Paramore have officially taken the stage and kicked off Day 1 of Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ in Stockholm, Sweden! #StockholmTSTheErasTour
Taylor Swift has long been credited with an outsized influence on music, celebrity culture – even politics. But reviving the UK’s flagging economy may be too much to ask, even of the sequinned megastar.
Research published this week by analysts from Barclays pointed to the extraordinary spending surge that ensues when Swift touches down, and suggested she could bring a £1bn boost to the UK.
Swift will kick off the UK leg of the Eras tour in Edinburgh next month with three nights at Murrayfield Stadium, before playing Liverpool, Cardiff and London – and returning to the capital in August for a final five dates.
Barclays’ analysts reckon the average Swiftie will spend £848 on the experience, once the costs of accommodation, food and drink, and the all-important tour merchandise are taken into account.
She is not the first music star credited with creating economic ripples: when Beyoncé toured Sweden last year she was blamed for an unexpected blip in inflation, as the price of hotels and restaurant meals temporarily rocketed.
Swift does seem to be in a league of her own when it comes to economic pulling power, with recent estimates suggesting she rakes in $17m (£13.5m) in ticket sales for every gig, against $10m (£7.9m) for Beyoncé or the Rolling Stones, for example.