Taylor Swift's Pittsburgh concerts generated $46 million
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Taylor Swift's back-to-back concerts in Pittsburgh last month generated $46 million in direct spending, according to VisitPittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh-area tourism agency said between spending on hotels, restaurants, retail, transportation and attractions, out-of-town Swifties spent $42.9 million. Combined, visitors and residents generated $3 million in state and local sales tax revenue.
VisitPittsburgh said 83% of visitors came from outside of Allegheny County for the concerts on June 16 and 17. Hotel occupancy averaged 95%, more than doubling the average daily room rates to $309. Outside Downtown, hotel occupancy hit a whopping 98%, the agency said.
The only time Allegheny County saw more visitors was in July 2019 when VisitPittsburgh said there were several events -- Atlantic Coast Baseball, the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, a Pirates home series against the Phillies and a Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World concert.
"Pittsburgh's tourism industry is events-driven, and the success of the Taylor Swift concert demonstrates our region's capacity to host top-tier concerts and other large-scale events with big attendance draws," VisitPittsburgh CEO Jerad Bachar said.
The second night of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour set an Acrisure Stadium record with an attendance of 73,117.
Market research firm QuestionPro estimated last month that Swift's tour could help add $5 billion to the worldwide economy, CBS News reported.