KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In recent months, fans from all over the world have flocked to Kansas City to watch Beyoncé and Taylor Swift take center stage at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, causing a significant boost in KC's economy.
VisitKC estimates $48 million in direct economic impact related to Taylor Swift’s shows in Kansas City and anticipates a direct economic impact of $13.4 million for Beyoncé's "Renaissance World Tour."
"This is publicity we could never afford to buy. Every time KC enjoys a high-profile appearance, it exposes our city to potential leisure travelers and business events decision makers who may be otherwise unfamiliar with Kansas City," said Derek Byrne, director of content strategy for VisitKC. "That helps us to dispel lingering misconceptions about KC, that we aren’t a 'real city,' or are otherwise unable of hosting big events, and reinforce the fact that we’re a vibrant, metropolitan destination."
InterContinental Kansas City on the Plaza experienced the pandemonium of Swifties and the Beyhive first-hand.
The hotel's general manager Jeff Keely said occupancy was at an all-time high with soldout rooms during Swift's two nights in July and Beyoncé's show Sunday.
"The NFL Draft was big, but Taylor was even bigger," Keely said. "All the kids everywhere, making friendship bracelets in our lobby, and even adults came without kids, and they were upstairs in our concierge lounge making friendship bracelets. It just brought a different demographic and a different crowd to the hotel."
With the Heart of America experiencing a boom in 2023, it's not lost on Keely that times have changed since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the InterContinental was down to 16 employees. Now, the staff is comprised of 200-250 people.
The final hotel data for Beyoncé's stop is not yet available, but during Swift's "The Eras Tour," hotel room revenue exceeded 2022’s levels by over 120% in the central business district and by nearly 96% in the city, according to VisitKC.
"We were racking glitter out of the hotel for a week afterward because all her fans were everywhere, so it was unbelievable," Keeley said.
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