lift, as the pop superstar’s six shows at Rogers Centre starting this week attract hundreds of thousands of fans expected to spend more than $150-million on hotels, food and friendship bracelets.The six concerts – along with Los Angeles, more than in any other North American city – get under way Thursday and will be a welcome injection of visitors during off-peak season.
Andrew Weir, the president and CEO of Destination Toronto, says Ms. Swift could help the city shake it off. “I think, when people come for a musical event, a concert, they are coming for the event. And once the event is finished, they are on to other things,” he said, adding that even major sporting events similarly offer just short-term boosts to tourism.
And the Toronto Zoo – in the city’s far eastern end, nowhere near the downtown Rogers Centre – is offering discounted admission with a Swift concert ticket, a friendship bracelet or a non-perishable food item from Nov. 12 to 24. Whether the Swift effect is a long-term tourism boost or not, the city’s size and existing profile mean it has been able to attract a stream of future mega-events beyond Ms. Swift. Next summer, Toronto will play host to one of the few North American dates for the highlyOntario Tourism Minister Stan Cho – who is attending one of the Swift concerts with his wife, whom he says is a dedicated fan – believes Ms.