Eras Tour: Singapore defends Taylor Swift’s exclusive stop in Southeast Asia after residents protest

cnn
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Singapore is attracting fans from across Southeast Asia and beyond to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, much to the chagrin of the city-state’s regional neighbors.

The anger is not directed at the superstar but at the Singapore government for an exclusive deal it struck with concert organizers to ensure the city-state is the only place in Southeast Asia where she performs.

Swift has brought a windfall to Singapore, as she usually does wherever she goes – as fans shop for flights, accommodation and souvenirs in the city-state.

But countries in the region have expressed annoyance that Philippine lawmaker Joey Salceda said exclusive agreements are not “what good neighbors do.”

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong responded to criticism on Tuesday by saying Singapore was not being “unfriendly” to its neighbors by striking a deal with the superstar.

“(Our) agencies negotiated an agreement with her to come to Singapore and perform and make Singapore her only stop in Southeast Asia,” Lee told a news conference in Melbourne during a state visit to Australia.

“Certain incentives were offered and an agreement was reached. It has turned out to be a very successful agreement. “I don’t see it as something unfriendly.”

“If we hadn’t made that arrangement, would I have come to more places in Southeast Asia? “Maybe maybe not?” she added.

Singapore officials had previously acknowledged offering a grant to Swift, and the country’s culture minister, Edward Tong, downplayed the size of the grant, saying on Monday that it is “not accurate and not as high as speculated.” .

Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin claimed during a business forum in Bangkok on February 16 that Singapore paid Taylor Swift up to $3 million per show on the condition of exclusivity to perform in the country.

Swift’s team has not commented on the controversy and has not responded to CNN’s request for a response. Both Thailand and the Philippines have seen major international music acts pass by recently and have surprised fans. including Coldplay.

The Eras Tour is a multicontinental show that emerged to become the highest grossing tour of all time – and Swift is making a lot of money in Singapore.

Swift will play six sold-out nights to 300,000 fans in Singapore, where 70% of concertgoers fly from abroad and spend up to $370 million in the city-state, according to estimates by a Maybank economist.

Between March 1 and March 9, when Swift is in town, inbound flights to Singapore skyrocketed 186% and accommodation bookings nearly quintupled, according to Edmund Ong, CEO of the travel platform. travel.com In Singapore.

These large-scale global music events are a boon for Singapore’s travel-related services that can add up to 10% of its GDP, HSBC ASEAN economist Yun Liu wrote in a recent note.

Fans from the Philippines, Thailand, China and other countries in the region have spent thousands of dollars on concerts and plane tickets to see Swift perform, plus everything needed to complete the experience with sequin dresses and themed costumes.

For many Filipino fans, traveling to Singapore can be a big outlay. GDP per capita in the Philippines is around $3,500 a year, according to the World Bank. By comparison, Singapore is one of the richest places in the world, where the average person earns more than 23 times more with a GDP per capita of $83,000.

Filipino fan Charlyn Suizo is among those making an expensive pilgrimage to see Swift, splashing out on the once-in-a-lifetime show.

“This is the most I have ever spent on a concert. I never really spent amounts as large as six figures (Philippine pesos) for anyone else, only for Taylor Swift,” Suizo said.

Singapore’s currency is one of the strongest in Asia, making everything relatively expensive for travelers from the region’s emerging markets.

Gilliane Granada, 24, who traveled from the Philippines with three other friends, said that while it is more expensive for them to go to Singapore for the concert, it makes sense to organize it in the city-state.

“I don’t think we had a place big enough to accommodate her and her stage and her production and all that. So, I think that’s probably one of the reasons why they decided to have it here in Singapore, because it’s a great stadium,” Granada said.

Her friend, Christel Kaye Kuan, 25, said they all spent about $2,000 on tickets, flights and accommodation for the trip, adding that at least they were able to make it their first international trip as friends.

That’s about six times the national average monthly salary in the Philippines, according to the latest government data. census data.

But it’s all worth it “because we get to see Taylor.”