The Economy’s ‘Wildest Dream’: Economics and the Eras Tour

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The Eras Tour isn’t just a cultural phenomenon; it’s an economic one. What starts as millions of small, personal choices, like booking hotels or buying tickets, scales into economic shifts worth billions. In this Subject Spotlight, you’ll explore how the tour generated spending on tickets, merchandise, and food; indirect boosts to local businesses and suppliers; and induced effects as temporary workers spent their wages back into the economy. Just as with the Olympics or World Cup, hosting superstar events can deliver short-term economic surges. But they also contribute to higher prices: when demand surges, hotels, transport, and restaurants often raise their prices, making it harder for many fans — particularly in the middle of a global cost-of-living crisis — to afford the shows they dream of attending. You’ll understand why policymakers see the value of hosting events like this but also recognize their limits. The Eras Tour provides the perfect real-world example to help you to learn about abstract economic theories through the lens of pop culture.

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About University of Huddersfield

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Veronica Vienne

Veronica Vienne is an environmental economist and senior lecturer in Economics at the University of Huddersfield. She has twelve years of professional and academic experience, working as a researcher at the OECD, think tanks and higher education institutions, both in Chile and the United Kingdom. Veronica’s main field of research is environmental economics, with a particular interest in air pollution, climate change, and natural disasters. She is also interested in well-being measures, labour economics, and economics of education. Some of her current research projects look at the effect of extreme weather events on children's mental health and the effect of air pollution on labour productivity, among others.

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