In Chicago, a record number of hotel rooms were booked last weekend as Taylor Swift played three concerts in the city for her Ellas Tour.
According to the city’s marketing organization Choose Chicago, the average number of hotel rooms in the city was 44,383 each night on Friday and Saturday, a record high. Fans from other parts of the United States flocked to one of the singer’s three concerts in Chicago, averaging 96.8 percent occupancy. Visitors were also in town for the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
“Taylor Swift’s sold-out concert coincided with one of the largest conventions of the year, making it the most successful weekend for Chicago hotels in recent history,” said Michael Jacobson, president of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association. ‘ said in an email. statement. These figures provide “indisputable proof of the importance of major events and conferences to the city’s economy.”
The outsized demand for Taylor Swift tickets has helped boost local economies across the country. Two concerts were held in Las Vegas in March, tourism returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, and hotel and restaurant bookings surged in cities from Atlanta to Boston to welcome the Ellas Tour. .
Fans spend an average of more than $1,300 on categories such as tickets, travel, and clothing to attend tours, according to the latest survey by research firm QuestionPro. The company estimates that if concert-goers continue to spend at this rate, the Ellas Tour could generate $4.6 billion in consumer spending in the United States alone.
Bloomberg News reported that this frenzy has secured Swift $11 million to $12 million in ticket sales per concert, and that she’s making more than $10 million per event.
