Taylor Swift concerts drive record bus bookings in Portugal and Spain

Swift's upcoming Lisbon gigs lead to unprecedented demand for FlixBus routes, with every seat booked.

Taylor Swift's much-anticipated concerts in Portugal are not just exciting fans but also significantly impacting travel trends in the region. 

FlixBus has reported a complete sell-out of their bus trips from Madrid and Seville to Lisbon, timed around the pop star's performances on May 24th and 25th at Estádio da Luz. 

This surge in demand highlights the star's massive draw and the lengths to which her fans are willing to go to catch her live.

According to FlixBus, all scheduled trips from the Spanish cities on May 23rd and 24th, as well as the return trips on May 25th and 26th, are fully booked. 

Similarly, routes from the Spanish capital to Porto have also seen an extraordinary demand, with all seats for Thursday sold out and return trips nearing full capacity.

Within Portugal, the travel scenario mirrors that of its neighbor, with buses from Porto to Lisbon on the mornings of the concert days completely booked. Pablo Pastega, general director of FlixBus for Portugal and Spain, noted the sharp rise in travel within the country, stating, "Trips starting from Porto and heading to Lisbon completely sold out, especially those in the morning on concert days."

Other Portuguese cities like Coimbra, Leiria, Viseu, and the Algarve are also experiencing heightened travel activity, indicating a broader trend of increased mobility across the region.

This phenomenon isn't confined to Portugal alone. Pastega pointed out similar trends around Taylor Swift’s concerts in Madrid and earlier events in France, emphasizing the global impact of major music events on local transport networks.

In response to this overwhelming demand, FlixBus has increased its service capacity on both domestic and international routes. 

"This increase in demand is proof that bus travel plays an increasingly important role when choosing a means of transport, whether for work or leisure trips," Pastega concluded.

Taylor Swift's debut in Portugal, accompanied by the band Paramore, is set to be a landmark event.