From Taylor Swift’s record-breaking live performance excursions to Mega-Sports activities occasions and the surge of display screen tourism impressed by hit reveals like HBO’s The White Lotus, these phenomena are remodeling journey patterns worldwide. The attract of mega-events and on-screen locations can generate substantial short-term financial boosts, but in addition they convey challenges. Dr. Isabella Blengini, Affiliate Professor of Economics at EHL Hospitality Enterprise College, delves into the advanced and multi-dimensional impacts of occasion tourism and popular culture tourism.
Because the tourism trade rebounds from latest downturns, event- and pop culture-driven journey is taking part in a central position in reinvigorating world locations, significantly metropolis tourism. Mega-events like sports activities championships, high-profile concert events, and display screen tourism—the place followers flock to locations featured in movies and TV reveals—are influencing the place individuals journey and the way native economies adapt to this inflow. These traits provide 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 sturdy financial contributor.
Mega-events: short-term surge, long-term planning
The summer time of 2024 has been a main 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 lately and extremely essential financial worth creator to established locations. New York’s leisure trade contributes straight with 10 % to the economic system. London had over 750 occasions (on prime 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 international locations seeking to enhance visibility and entice vacationers. Based on Dr. Blengini, they’ll stimulate native economies within the brief time period, however their long-term influence is dependent upon cautious planning.
“Mega-events provide growing international locations 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 convey spectacular financial outcomes. For instance, knowledge reveals that main concert events convey a 25% enhance to lodge efficiency, with luxurious lodges seeing the biggest occupancy will increase. The typical every day charge (ADR) for upscale lodges 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 way of the so-called “Halo Impact”, the place the advertising visibility of a vacation spot results in longer-term tourism inflows. Based on 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 commonly fueled by word-of-mouth suggestions, which stay an important inspiration for brand spanking new vacationers.
The Taylor Swift impact: dynamic pricing and native economies
A notable phenomenon lately 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 example, Beyoncé’s concert events in Stockholm had been calculated to have contributed to Sweden’s inflation charge improve by 0,3 proportion factors as a consequence of rising costs.
Dr. Blengini explains that the rise in costs is pushed by a mix of intertemporal value discrimination and surge pricing, much like how platforms like Uber modify their costs based mostly 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 reveals how immensely her concert events have impacted lodging gross sales in main U.S. cities.
Display screen tourism: fame, sustainability and threat
Alongside mega-events, display screen tourism—the place followers go to areas featured in movies and TV reveals—continues to develop. From Sport of Thrones to Emily in Paris and The White Lotus, locations featured on-screen usually see elevated vacationer visitors. Analysis reveals 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 way of display screen tourism is efficacious, however it additionally comes with threat. Fashionable cities like Paris might not achieve further long-term visibility from reveals like Emily in Paris—it’s already a well-known vacation spot. The problem lies in smaller, lesser-known areas, which can battle with overtourism and environmental degradation. – Dr. Isabella Blengini, Affiliate Professor of Economics at EHL Hospitality Enterprise College
Additionally, Thailand is at present experiencing much more touristic consideration as a result of filming of the third season of “The White Lotus”. Whereas the nation is a seasoned vacationer vacation spot, the inflow of recent vacationers might current sure environmental dangers. A major instance is the long-lasting Maya Bay in Thailand, made well-known by the movie “The Seaside”. The gorgeous location noticed an enormous inflow of vacationers after the film’s launch and till today, resulting in extreme ecological injury to the coral reefs and marine life. Consequently, Thai authorities periodically shut the bay to permit for environmental restoration.
Nations ought to steadiness the need to capitalize on display screen tourism with long-term methods to guard pure environments – Dr. Isabella Blengini, Affiliate Professor of Economics at EHL Hospitality Enterprise College
Usually, Thailand serves as a robust instance of the long-lasting influence of display screen tourism. With an instance like The Seaside drawing consideration to Maya Bay, many vacationers lengthen their keep within the nation, usually spending as much as two weeks or extra exploring different points of interest along with visiting the film location. Maya Bay turns into simply one in every of many causes to journey to Thailand. This reveals each the quick attraction and the broader, extra sustained tourism influence that movie areas can generate.
The ripple impact of occasion and pop-culture tourism
Whereas the financial influence of mega-events and popular culture tourism may be monumental, the advantages usually depend upon how properly locations are ready for the inflow. Occasions like Taylor Swift’s excursions convey 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, reveals that occasions can have far-reaching, long-term advertising results, serving to to construct a vacation spot’s model past the occasion itself. Whether or not it’s sports activities championships, blockbuster concert events, or movie tourism, the important thing to long-term success lies in strategic, sustainable planning that respects each the local people and the surroundings.
