Swift kick from concerts crafts an Australian tourism love story

In her blockbuster-scale but, for fans, all-too-swift visit to our fair city, Taylor Swift sealed her place in the hearts of our kids, tweens and teens, and more than a few adults.

And now the corporate community has joined the party. Bulging planes and packed trains poured revellers into the heart of Melbourne over a three-day party that delivered a welcome boost to hospitality, hotel and retail businesses wrestling rising inflation and reticent consumers.

Tourists Siobhan Rafter (left) and Lillian Dahya went to the Saturday Taylor Swift concert and spent days shopping in Melbourne.Credit: Chris Hopkins

Melbourne Airport declared Friday a record day for passengers, while budget airline Jetstar has enjoyed a record February: traditionally a tough month in aviation even without the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis.

“This has been our biggest ever February,” Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully said. “We’ve seen around 30 per cent more travellers into Melbourne and Sydney than this time last year.”

Michael Johnson, the chief executive of industry body Accommodation Australia, said Melbourne hotel occupancy rate sat at just under 70 per cent at this time last year.

Swift’s sold-out concerts meant almost nine out of 10 hotel rooms were booked over the weekend as visitors came from across Victoria, interstate and international, including a large contingent from New Zealand, Johnson said.

“It’s fantastic,” he said.

Adrian Williams, a divisional chief operating officer with hotel company Accor, said Swift’s concerts had “supercharged” sales at the company’s hotels including the Pullman, Ibis and Mantra brands in Melbourne and Sydney.

“This is a love story for Australian tourism,” he said. “Occupancies are at unparalleled levels over the concert periods, and we have also seen a surge in regional demand as Swifties take the opportunity to travel further.”

It wasn’t just visitors to Melbourne flocking to the city, as the Department of Transport and Planning reported 407,550 myki touch-ons across the Metro Trains network on Saturday alone, the highest patronage for a Saturday since 2018.

There were 52,452 customers across the V/Line network on Saturday, compared to 32,100 on the previous Saturday.

On Friday, nighttime pedestrian activity at the St Kilda Road-Alexandra Gardens sensor was 75 per cent higher than the same time last year, and on Saturday it was nearly 4½ times higher than the corresponding time in 2023.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said the concerts had provided a “fabulous uplift” to Melbourne businesses with ripples across retail, hospitality, tourism and accommodation sectors.

He predicted the reports of the MCG concert crowds as the biggest Swift had ever played to would attract other artists seeking large audiences.

Guerra said performers would see “we have the facility here on the doorstep of the city, and we can pull it off... it’s going to be enormous for Melbourne.”

Acting Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece said the City of Melbourne’s economic analysis showed the concerts would pour $35 million into retail coffers across the city. “We’ve all gone completely Taylor mad,” he said.

“These results confirm that Taylor Swift has delivered the biggest shot in the arm that Melbourne has seen in a very long time. The city has been absolutely buzzing over the last few days and we couldn’t be happier.”

Lachy Grbac, the manager of the South Melbourne branch of retailer Spotlight, said the store had sold 10 times more beads than usual in the past month and on Sunday the store was “pretty much out of stock” in most of the beads and wires Swiftie customers use to make friendship bracelets.

Swift-inspired tutus, make-up and face stickers were also big sellers.

Housemates Siobhan Rafter, 29, and Lillian Dahya, 30, of Hobart, flew home on Sunday night after attending the Saturday night concert and staying in Melbourne for two and three nights respectively.

Rafter said the concert was “an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience” and reckoned she spent about $1900 during her stay. Dahya put her spend at $2000 as the friends spent on transport, food, accommodation, and went shopping for clothes, make-up and even homewares.

“We’ve been cruising around shopping, people-watching and finding random things to eat,” Rafter said.

“The vibe and atmosphere, not just at the concert but in the whole of Melbourne, has been really great and everyone’s been super friendly.”