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Planeloads of US fans have followed Swift across the Atlantic, creating a phenomenon that the travel company Expedia termed ‘tour tourism.‘
In Paris, where the singer kicked off the European leg of her tour with four back-to-back shows, 20% of tickets had been purchased by Americans, The Associated Press reported.
The International Air Transport Association predicted that 2024 would be a record-breaking year for airline profits and passenger numbers. 4.7 billion journeys are expected to be made through airports this year, an increase of 200 million on record pre-pandemic levels set in 2019.
Despite the growth in passenger numbers, Heathrow reported a 3.2% drop in revenue for the first nine months of 2024 to £2.65 billion ($3.44 billion). The airport’s operating company announced plans to invest over £1 billion ($1.3 billion) into the airport this year.