The short version
- Taylor Swift’s three concerts in Stockholm in May are expected to generate approx. half a billion kroner in audience consumption.
- This is according to the business organization Stockholms Handelskammare and the arena company Stockholm Live.
- Four out of five spectators at Swift’s Sweden concerts are visitors, and spend money on accommodation, catering, transport and shopping.
- Several major international artists have dropped Norway on tours in recent years, due to a lack of a large enough venue.
- Concert organizers in Norway want a new large concert arena in Oslo, which the city council says they are working on.
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The expected economic effect is NOK 480 million.
This is shown by new calculations from the business organization Stockholms Handelskammare and the arena company Stockholm Live.
The calculations are based on what incoming guests spend on accommodation, catering, transport and shopping.
Travel expenses and ticket costs are not included in the calculation.
The estimate is based on statistics from similar events.
– The Swift visit is a real boost for Stockholm’s economy, says Carl Bergkvist, chief economist at the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, in a press release.
According to this, four out of five Swift concert guests travel to Stockholm, and guests from over 130 countries are expected.
– Guests not only spend money on the ticket, but also on restaurant experiences, hotels, shopping, public transport and perhaps a guided tour. This will be the biggest event for a long time, and it will have an impact on tourism, says Bergkvist.
Fewer stars
In recent years, more and more of the biggest international artists have dropped Norway on their world tours.
Concert organizers VG has spoken to say that the big stars now travel around with rigs that require stadiums or arenas with a capacity of around 50,000 and above.
Then, for example, the Ullevaal stadium in Oslo falls short, with its capacity of around 30,000. Whereas an area like Voldsløkka can only be used in the summer.
– The report from Stockholm shows the strength of culture as a major industry and a driver of tourism that must be taken seriously, says concert organizer Peer Osmundsvaag in All Things Live to VG.
He had Swift booked for Voldsløkka in the summer of 2020, but the concert was canceled due to the pandemic.
When Swift booked her now record-breaking Eras Tour, it was not possible to get her to Norway.
Instead, she holds the first of her three Sweden concerts on Norway’s national day, 17 May.
They are all played in the multi-purpose hall Friends Arena. And that is the kind of building Osmundsvaag wants.
– It must be built smartly, suitable for both culture and sport, he says – and recalls that concertgoers generated 80 million for the capital when Eminem visited Voldsløkka in 2018 with 55,000 spectators.
Oslo’s city councilor for culture and industry, Anita Leirvik North (H), refers to the political platform which is the basis for city council cooperation between the Conservatives and the Liberals, the Hammersborgerkläringen.
– In it, we have said that Oslo will be one of Europe’s leading cultural cities and that the city council will contribute to establishing a new concert arena in Oslo. We are now working hard to realize this and we have several exciting projects underway, she writes to VG.
