Air New Zealand’s Swift Move

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, July 7. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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Episode Notes

Taylor Swift is heading to Australia next February for her Eras Tour — but not New Zealand. However, Air New Zealand is boosting capacity for the thousands of Swifties eager to travel to Australia for her shows, writes Reporter Jess Wade.

Wade reports 10,000 Kiwis have booked flights on Air New Zealand coinciding with the concert dates. One Air New Zealand executive said the surge is one of the greatest it’s ever seen for travel between the two countries. Wade adds the airline recently announced it’s adding 2,000 new seats from three major New Zealand cities to Melbourne and Sydney. 

Australia airlines have also seen enormous demand for Swift-related travel. Virgin Australia registered a more than 600% jump in bookings to Melbourne and Sydney during Swift concert dates. 

Next, the U.S. tourism industry is continuing to make strides in its recovery from the pandemic. International travel to the country hit 83% of pre-Covid figures in March, writes Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam. 

More than 5 million overseas visitors came to the U.S. in March, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office’s latest data. That number is 83% percent of pre-pandemic levels. International visitor volume also topped 80% of pre-Covid levels in February of this year. Habtemariam notes the U.S.’ top overseas markets in March — outside of Canada and Mexico — were the UK, Germany and Japan. 

Finally, financial concerns are driving Europeans to modify their travel plans, writes Reporter Jess Wade.

Wade reports a recent survey by the European Travel Commission is highlighting a shift in consumer behavior toward cheaper options. As 24% of European travelers worry about the overall rise in trip costs, the commission’s president Miguel Sanz said many people are looking for more affordable experiences or considering off-peak travel to stretch their budgets. 

The study found that 17% of travelers aim to travel off-season to get better prices while 14% plan to vacation in destinations they consider more affordable.