Taylor Swift’s Singapore show causes bad blood with some Asian neighbors: NPR

HONG KONG – Pop star Taylor Swift is in Singapore this week and will perform six sold-out shows in the city-state. But the concerts (and what the government did to guarantee them) have caused some bad blood between Singapore and neighboring Southeast Asian countries and territories.

Singapore this week confirmed that he negotiated a deal with Swift’s concert promoters, paying an undisclosed sum of money to ensure Singapore was her only stop in the region.

Rumors about the exclusive deal had sparked outrage among Southeast Asian neighbors, with one Philippine lawmaker demanding an explanation, Thailand’s prime minister stating Singapore paid millions of dollars per concert for the deal, and Hong Kong’s chief executive insisted his city remained an attractive destination for mega-events.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong defended the exclusive deal at a news conference on Tuesday.

“An agreement was reached. And it turned out to be a very successful agreement. I don’t see it as something hostile,” he said at an Asian summit in Melbourne.

Lee added that an “incentive” had been paid for the deal. The Singapore Tourism Board declined to comment on the amount, citing commercial confidentiality. AEG Presents, promoter of Swift’s concert, did not respond to a request for comment.

Following Lee’s statements, Philippine legislator Joey Salceda said a local newspaper that Singapore operated according to “the law of the jungle” and not the law of a “neighborhood of countries subject to supposed principles of solidarity and consensus.”

Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines often enjoy fluid diplomatic relations. All of them are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEANa regional economic and security bloc.

Beneath this heated rhetoric lies a growing industry worth billions of dollars. Event tourism, like Swift concerts, generates a lot of money for cities. Research company Business Markets Insights wait The Asia Pacific events market will grow to nearly $550 billion by 2028.

“Event tourism is a key trend,” said Erica Tay, a Singapore-based economist at Malaysia-based Malayan Banking Berhad, or Maybank.

Younger travelers crave experiences, more than things, and are more likely to travel to a city to attend a concert or watch a sporting event, he said. “By hosting Taylor Swift and other top artists, I believe Singapore is building its credentials to be an event tourism hub,” she added.

Tay estimates Swift concerts will generate $370 million in tourism revenue for the country

in just over a week, while the pop star is in town.

When nearby cities see the multibillion-dollar boost they’re missing out on, it leads them to do some soul-searching.

Last month, reporters asked Hong Kong CEO John Lee about Singapore’s efforts to land Swift and whether Hong Kong is being ambitious enough when it comes to securing mega events.

“We know that we will compete with different cities. And we will make sure that we are attractive and competitive enough,” he said.

Until that happens, Hong Kong is missing out on the opportunity for fans to spend a lot of money to see the likes of Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and now Taylor Swift, marquee artists who skipped Hong Kong but performed in Singapore.

Husband and wife Haseeb Khan and Audie Wibowo paid around $450 each for their Swift tickets, plus another $300 each for flights from Hong Kong. They plan to stay with their family in Singapore.

“I think it’s worth it,” Khan said. “It’s Taylor Swift, it’s like a once-in-a-generation tour.”

Wibowo, who describes herself as a long-time Swiftie, said she had never traveled so far for a music concert before, but was determined to go to one of Swift’s shows in Singapore.

“Even if my family wasn’t there, my friends weren’t there, if we didn’t have anything in Singapore to go to, we would go anyway,” he said.

It was a similar story for 13-year-old Anoushka and her mother Neha Malik. Malik used loyalty points for their flights from Hong Kong to Singapore, to offset the high price they paid of around $750 per ticket.

“It’s a big splurge, but it’s like a birthday, Christmas, all in one,” he said. “It’s better to have a great memory that lasts forever.”

Getting nearby Swifties to fly out and splurge at their concerts is exactly what Singapore officials wanted.

Beyond the economic boost, there is also the reputational boost that Swift’s presence brings.

“His support for Singapore will really put the country on the map for hundreds of millions of his supporters,” said economist Tay.

“It’s hard to value it, but I think it’s really positive.”