Taylor Swift Era’s tour touted as saviour for Melbourne’s major events reputation

The Melbourne leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour will inject more than $1.2bn into the Victorian economy, with her performances described as a saviour for the city’s battered major events city crown.

Global phenomenon Taylor Swift is set to inject more than $1.2bn into the state’s economy when she makes her way down south in a boon for city traders and the Victorian government.

The country-turned-pop singer’s mega-concerts are being touted as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for CBD small business owners and a saviour for Melbourne’s reputation as a major event city following Covid lockdowns and the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games.

More than 85 per cent of Melbourne CBD hotels and motels are completely booked out for the Friday and Saturday nights when the Shake It Off singer lights up the MCG.

Tourism, hospitality and event management senior lecturer at La Trobe University, Paul Strickland, said the hype around Swift’s appearance would outshine the likes of Elton John, Pink and even Harry Styles.

“The phenomenon is much bigger than anyone else we’ve seen,” he said.

“There’s teenage girls that will say they’ll die unless they get a ticket.”

He said locals would spend an average of $300 on tickets, plus food and beverages.

But the real cash flow will come from interstate tourists, who will spend around $1100 for additional accommodation and travel.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour will inject a massive amount into the Victorian economy in just one weekend. Picture: Allen J. Schaben

“We can expect this will inject more than $1.2 billion into the local economy,” he said.

Dr Strickland said the economic boost was coming at “the perfect time” following major hits to tourism and events.

“Recently, we’ve had three major negative events for Victorian tourism; the cancellation of the Grand Prix prior to lockdown; the extended lockdown with no tourists and the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games,” he said.

“We’re still trying to recover from that.

“This is exactly what the Andrews government wanted. No one’s talking about cancellation at the Commonwealth Games anymore.”

The academic, however, warned that Tay’s Tay’s pull was so strong that smaller events, particularly music festivals and charity events in regional areas, might see their ticket sales take a tumble.

“Teenagers are putting all their eggs in one basket and using up Christmas and birthday money to see Taylor,” he said.

Fans will come from interstate and NZ to see the popstar perform at the MCG. Picture: Michael Tran

“Some of the tickets go for $1200. They made them use all their incentives, begging their parents to buy a ticket for the year, which means they’re not going to other things.

“So we do know that smaller events are suffering because they’re not going to them, especially in regional locations.”

Crowds are expected to hit 260,000 over three nights as fans from across the country and New Zealand fly in to see the pop star perform.

Minister for Tourism Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos said Swift’s performances would secure Melbourne’s place as a leading events city.

“With Taylor Swift set to perform in front of one her biggest ever crowds, Melbourne’s standing as a world-leading city for major events is indisputable,” he said.

“We know that when people travel to Melbourne for a major event, they also spend their money in our hotels, restaurants, retail shops and experiences – boosting local businesses and jobs,” he said.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss and self-professed Swiftie, Paul Guerra, said the economic impacts were sweeping across Melbourne before the pop princess even landed.

“Every young adult I speak to is talking about what they’re wearing to the concert, what era they’ll be wearing, so there’s a big push on retail,” he said.

“Then when she gets to Melbourne, the pubs, restaurants and cafes will be booked out. Crown is at capacity and that’s not just interstate and international travellers, that’s Victorians making a weekend of it.”

Mr Guerra said it was “remarkable” Victoria could hold such a massive event.

“There’s nowhere else in the world where you can host a concert of this size so close to the CBD, and it comes between the Aus Open and the AFL season,” he said.

A recent independent study commissioned by Visit Victoria found the state’s major events calendar contributed $3.3 billion in value to the economy and generated more than 15,500 jobs for Victoria every year.