Taylor Swift was scheduled to perform three shows on her Eras Tour on August 8, 9 and 10 at the Ernst Happel Arena in Vienna, Austria, in front of around 170,000 fans. However, the schedule was canceled after authorities discovered a terrorist plot targeting the concerts. Audiences who bought tickets to see the Cruel Summer singer in Vienna will be refunded within 10 days of the cancellation. Many of them did not hesitate to pay extra to get tickets to see their idol perform in the UK and change their original plans.
According to the Daily Mail , this wave has caused ticket prices for shows at Wembley Stadium in London (UK) to skyrocket on resale websites such as Viagogo, Vividseats, Stubhub and Gigsberg. This site said that when they first went on sale, ticket prices ranged from £58 (about 1.8 million VND) for seats with limited views to £110 (about 3.5 million VND) for regular seats. However, on resale websites, the cheapest ticket price is £416 (more than 13.3 million VND), with some tickets being sold for up to £6,515 (more than 208.5 million VND), depending on the location, according to CoinPoker .
Tickets to Taylor Swift’s London shows are said to have surged by 30% on the resale market after the Vienna event was cancelled, and by nearly 2,000% on their original price, The Guardian reported.
Not only have ticket prices skyrocketed, CoinPoker reports that in the 24 hours since Taylor Swift canceled her Vienna show, Google searches for “Taylor Swift London tickets” from the Austrian capital have skyrocketed. In addition, round-trip airfares from Vienna to London on August 14 and 15 (right before Swift’s first show at Wembley Stadium) have increased by an average of 38% due to the surge in travel demand.
Taylor Swift will perform five nights at London’s Wembley Stadium between August 15 and 20, with each show attracting around 90,000 spectators. London police have confirmed that the Look What You Made Me Do hitmaker’s concerts in the British capital will be under heightened security and additional crowd safety measures after a terrorist plot targeting her shows in Austria was discovered, forcing the singer to cancel her shows.
“London hosts a number of important events each year, attracting millions of visitors to enjoy a safe and enjoyable experience,” said a Metropolitan Police spokesman. “There is nothing to suggest that the matter being investigated by the Austrian authorities will have any impact on future events in London. As always, we will continue to carefully consider any new information.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also confirmed that the concert would go ahead, noting: “We have a lot of experience in policing these events, we are never complacent. Many lessons have been learned after the terrible attack at Manchester Arena. The police work closely, not only with the city hall, but also with the councils and the concert organisers.” He added: “I am sure Vienna has its own reasons for cancelling the Taylor Swift concert. We will continue to work closely with the police and ensure the concert can go ahead safely.”
Taylor Swift’s string of concerts in London is expected to generate around £300 million for the city’s economy.
