By Aysu Bicer
LONDON (AA) - London is set to host singer Taylor Swift's record-breaking The Eras Tour, generating an estimated £300 million ($380 million) boost for the capital’s economy, according to a statement by London Assembly.
The global music superstar will perform eight shows at Wembley Stadium starting Friday, attracting nearly 700,000 attendees, more than any other city worldwide.
A new poll by Visit London reveals that 54% of people would consider traveling to London for a music event, surpassing other major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Paris.
To celebrate Swift’s performances, Wembley Park is unveiling two new public artworks. The Spanish Steps, temporarily renamed the "Swiftie Steps," will feature "Auras" by Frank Styles, a digital compilation of over 30 physical paintings.
Transport for London (TfL) has reimagined the Tube map in her honor, with an exclusive pull-out in Friday’s Evening Standard newspaper.
Dubbed "London (Taylor’s version)," each line is named after a different album and illustrated in sequin colors to match, with stations named after her songs and gemstones marking key locations with links to Taylor for fans to visit.
Venues will display new vinyl stickers in their windows to welcome Swifties and highlight other locations of interest, including the West End, Soho, Bond Street, Camden Market, Highgate, Hampstead Heath, Vauxhall, Shoreditch, Hackney, Brixton, and Kentish Town.
Swift’s highly anticipated UK tour has created a significant economic ripple, coining terms like "Swiftflation" and "Swiftonomics" due to the surge in spending on services such as hotels, flights, and restaurants in the cities she visits.
In Edinburgh, where Swift kicked off the UK leg of her tour earlier this month, local authorities reported that the concerts and associated spending injected an estimated £77 million ($98 million) into the city's economy.
Barclays bank projects that the entire UK tour could contribute up to £1 billion to the British economy.