The Rise of Music Tourism: What Destinations Can Learn from The Eras Tour’s Success

Music tourism is on the rise, with concerts and festivals turning into immersive experiences that inspire travel. Also called “gig tripping,” this travel trend has been on the rise for a few years, with an explosion of popularity around the Taylor Swift Eras Tour. Cities hosting major music events see significant economic benefits. This October, I attended Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour in New Orleans. I witnessed firsthand how the city embraced Taylor Swift’s presence. From local businesses to major landmarks, New Orleans transformed into a Swiftie’s paradise, showing how music tourism creates unique experiences and drives economic impact.

The Rise of Music Tourism

What is Music Tourism?

Music tourism—where fans travel to experience concerts, festivals, and music-related landmarks—has transformed into a significant driver of travel. More than just a trend, music tourism is reshaping local economies and fueling tourism growth. Recently, the American Music Tourism Act was introduced to further bolster this sector, recognizing its power to draw visitors, stimulate spending, and support community businesses. By encouraging travel specifically for music-related experiences, this movement is set to bring even greater economic benefits to destinations across the U.S.

Growth of the Music Tourism Industry

Recent data highlights that the global music tourism market is projected to reach $13.8 billion by 2032​. Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, also known as the ‘Swift Lift’ has been a key driver, with fans eager to travel, celebrate, and spend in every city the tour touches.

The Swift Lift in New Orleans

A City Transformed by The Eras Tour

I spent several days in New Orleans during The Eras Tour. It was amazing to see the way the city fully embraced Swifties. I was hard-pressed to find a local business that didn’t have an event going on, wasn’t offering Taylor Swift-themed specials, or didn’t at least have decorations up and Taylor Swift music playing. It was clear that local business owners fully understood the potential impact of the weekend and were more than happy to welcome Swiftie visitors with open arms. The energy of the city was electric. From the minute we got on our plane to New Orleans, it was clear we were surrounded by people also traveling to New Orleans for the show.

Even Café du Monde, one of New Orleans’s most famous and historic spots, had a banner outside their French Quarter location that showed all of Taylor Swift’s eras portrayed as beignets. Stony Clover, a store outside of the French Quarter that might not get as much foot traffic, went all out by transforming the outside of their building, having karaoke and friendship bracelet-making outside and selling special Taylor Swift-themed products. As a result, they went viral on social media and visitors lined up around the block.

Many visitors remarked on how much the city had cleaned up for the occasion. I heard it mentioned several times that Bourbon Street was the safest and cleanest people had ever seen it. Experiences like this leave people with a positive feeling about the city and have them eager to plan their next visit.

Economic Impact of The Eras Tour

All of this attention to detail paid off, with The Eras Tour generating an estimated economic impact of $195 million​, with some even predicting it may have generated as much as $500 million in New Orleans. Hotels reached 100% capacity on both Friday and Saturday nights and 80% capacity on Sunday night.

New Orleans isn’t the only city who experienced an impact like this. Back in 2023, The Eras Tour brought Las Vegas back to pre-Covid tourism levels for the first time, and in Singapore, the tour generated $260-375 million and a 2.9% GDP increase. Other artists like Beyonce and Coldplay have had similar effects on cities they toured in.

How to Capitalize on Music Tourism

While Taylor Swift may be at the forefront of this trend right now, she is certainly not the only artist driving people to travel for concerts, shows and festivals. Many people don’t live in a big city, so if they want to see their favorite artist, there is a good chance they will need to travel to do so. It is up to DMOs and their partners to make sure these people don’t just pop in and out for the concert. It’s crucial to motivate visitors to make a trip out of a concert or festival and experience the destination as a whole.

Tips for DMOs and Attractions

1. Make sure partners are aware of big upcoming events and are ready to authentically welcome fans. Don’t just put a picture of the artist in the store window and call it a day, partners need to embrace artists and events in a way that is authentic to them. A bar could offer themed drink specials, a boutique could create themed merchandise or a hotel could host pre-concert events. Take the example of Café du Monde and the beignet banner – they hired a local artist to design the banner and created something authentic to their offerings.
2. Embrace the influx of visitors. While there are always challenges that come with an influx of visitors, the key is to make these people feel completely welcome. When a city welcomes music fans with open arms, it results in positive sentiment around the destination and has people eager to plan another trip there.
3. Utilize social media. Social media is a huge driver of music tourism, so destinations and partners need to utilize social media to show why people should travel to them for a concert or festival. More than ever, travelers are craving shared experiences and social media is where they will find inspiration for these experiences.

Attending the Eras Tour in New Orleans was more than just a concert—it was an experience that showcased the power of music tourism. For cities, embracing music tourism means more than a temporary economic boost; it’s a chance to highlight local culture, boost business, and create lasting memories for travelers. As music tourism continues to grow, DMOs have an incredible opportunity to shape experiences that bring people back, time and again.