From Taylor Swift’s record-breaking live performance excursions to Mega-Sports activities occasions and the surge of display tourism impressed by hit exhibits like HBO’s The White Lotus, these phenomena are reworking journey patterns worldwide. The attract of mega-events and on-screen locations can generate substantial short-term financial boosts, but in addition they deliver challenges. Dr. Isabella Blengini, Affiliate Professor of Economics at EHL Hospitality Enterprise Faculty, delves into the advanced and multi-dimensional impacts of occasion tourism and popular culture tourism.
Because the tourism business rebounds from current downturns, event- and pop culture-driven journey is taking part in a central position in reinvigorating international locations, notably metropolis tourism. Mega-events like sports activities championships, high-profile live shows, and display tourism—the place followers flock to locations featured in movies and TV exhibits—are influencing the place individuals journey and the way native economies adapt to this inflow. These traits supply immense financial advantages but in addition elevate considerations about long-term sustainability and impacts on native communities, particularly in areas the place tourism shouldn’t be a structurally robust financial contributor.
Mega-events: short-term surge, long-term planning
The summer time of 2024 has been a primary instance and a fruits level of mass-event tourism, from worldwide soccer championships and the Olympics to high-profile live performance excursions like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Occasion tourism (sports activities, tradition, music) has been a high-growth tourism section in recent times and extremely essential financial worth creator to established locations. New York’s leisure business contributes straight with 10 % to the economic system. London had over 750 occasions (on high of Soho theater productions) between 2017 and 20, creating 2.5 Bn GBP in financial worth. So for good causes, mega-events like these are extremely wanted by nations trying to enhance visibility and entice vacationers. In response to Dr. Blengini, they will stimulate native economies within the brief time period, however their long-term influence relies on cautious planning.
“Mega-events supply creating nations an excuse to spend money on infrastructure, like highways and public transportation, whereas extra developed nations use these alternatives to refresh their picture,” says Dr. Blengini. Nevertheless, she warns that these occasions are sometimes not as worthwhile as they appear.
Commercials
Nonetheless, event-driven tourism can deliver spectacular financial outcomes. For instance, knowledge exhibits that main live shows deliver a 25% enhance to lodge efficiency, with luxurious resorts seeing the most important occupancy will increase. The typical every day price (ADR) for upscale resorts additionally surges, pushed by demand. Throughout Adele’s ten-concert residency in Munich, greater than 730,000 followers attended, contributing considerably to the town’s tourism economic system. Munich’s financial division famous that one Adele concertgoer is economically value about two common vacation vacationers.
Past direct spending, these occasions generate oblique advantages by the so-called “Halo Impact”, the place the advertising and marketing visibility of a vacation spot results in longer-term tourism inflows. In response to analysis on film-induced tourism, locations can expertise as much as a 50% improve in visitation inside 5 years after being featured in a movie or TV show . This lasting impact is usually fueled by word-of-mouth suggestions, which stay an important inspiration for brand new vacationers.
The Taylor Swift impact: dynamic pricing and native economies
A notable phenomenon in recent times is the financial surge brought on by blockbuster leisure occasions like Taylor Swift’s excursions, referred to as “Swiftonomics”. U.S. economists estimated that Swift’s U.S. tour in 2023 generated 4.6 billion US-Greenback in shopper spending, greater than the financial output of a number of U.S. states. Native economies can see main shifts in hospitality demand, retail spending, and even inflation. As an illustration, Beyoncé’s live shows in Stockholm have been calculated to have contributed to Sweden’s inflation price improve by 0,3 proportion factors on account of rising costs.
Dr. Blengini explains that the rise in costs is pushed by a mixture of intertemporal value discrimination and surge pricing, much like how platforms like Uber alter their costs primarily based on demand. Motels and Airbnb hosts reply to the inflow of vacationers by elevating costs. This dynamic was clearly seen in Zurich, the place lodging costs soared throughout Taylor Swift’s live performance stops. Additionally, an evaluation from MasterCard exhibits how immensely her live shows have impacted lodging gross sales in main U.S. cities.
Display screen tourism: fame, sustainability and danger
Alongside mega-events, display tourism—the place followers go to places featured in movies and TV exhibits—continues to develop. From Sport of Thrones to Emily in Paris and The White Lotus, locations featured on-screen typically see elevated vacationer visitors. Analysis exhibits that film-induced tourism can result in sustained will increase in visitation, with some locations seeing a 50% rise in vacationer numbers as much as 5 years after a show or film is launched.
Visibility by display tourism is effective, however it additionally comes with danger. In style cities like Paris could not achieve further long-term visibility from exhibits like Emily in Paris—it’s already a well-known vacation spot. The problem lies in smaller, lesser-known places, which can wrestle with overtourism and environmental degradation. – Dr. Isabella Blengini, Affiliate Professor of Economics at EHL Hospitality Enterprise Faculty
Additionally, Thailand is at the moment experiencing much more touristic consideration because of the filming of the third season of “The White Lotus”. Whereas the nation is a seasoned vacationer vacation spot, the inflow of recent vacationers could current sure environmental dangers. A main instance is the long-lasting Maya Bay in Thailand, made well-known by the movie “The Seashore”. The gorgeous location noticed a large inflow of vacationers after the film’s launch and till this present day, resulting in extreme ecological harm to the coral reefs and marine life. Because of this, Thai authorities periodically shut the bay to permit for environmental restoration.
International locations ought to stability the will to capitalize on display tourism with long-term methods to guard pure environments – Dr. Isabella Blengini, Affiliate Professor of Economics at EHL Hospitality Enterprise Faculty
Basically, Thailand serves as a powerful instance of the long-lasting influence of display tourism. With an instance like The Seashore drawing consideration to Maya Bay, many vacationers prolong their keep within the nation, typically spending as much as two weeks or extra exploring different sights along with visiting the film location. Maya Bay turns into simply one among many causes to journey to Thailand. This exhibits each the instant enchantment and the broader, extra sustained tourism influence that movie places can generate.
The ripple impact of occasion and pop-culture tourism
Whereas the financial influence of mega-events and popular culture tourism will be monumental, the advantages typically rely upon how properly locations are ready for the inflow. Occasions like Taylor Swift’s excursions deliver a surge in spending throughout sectors, however with out cautious planning, these short-term boosts can depart native economies susceptible as soon as the occasion is over.
The “Halo Impact” nevertheless, exhibits that occasions can have far-reaching, long-term advertising and marketing results, serving to to construct a vacation spot’s model past the occasion itself. Whether or not it’s sports activities championships, blockbuster live shows, or movie tourism, the important thing to long-term success lies in strategic, sustainable planning that respects each the local people and the surroundings.
