Move over the Magnificent Seven or bitcoin, Singapore is currently buzzing with anticipation as Taylor Swift gets ready to make a splash in the super clean city! With a global reputation as a renowned singer-songwriter and a massive fan base which includes my young daughter, any news about her visits or performances sparks excitement.
The rise of Taylor Swift has been astronomical and is a story that resonates strongly with teenage admirers, though fans of all ages consider themselves to be “Swifties”. Notably, Singapore is Swift’s sole stop in Southeast Asia as part of her current world tour.
Taylor Swift’s live performances transcend mere musical events, evolving into catalysts for substantial economic growth in the locales she graces, a phenomenon aptly named Swiftonomics. The Washington Post used World Bank data to report that she made more than the annual economic output of 42 nations in 2022.
Without looking at the numbers, the economic benefits to Singapore including additional tourist arrivals and spending on entertainment and retail are going to be “significant”. This article on BBC delves into the captivating world of Taylor Swift.
Here is a section:
Flight-loads of fans have been touching down at Singapore’s Changi Airport all week, many coming from China and its territories. Swift isn’t playing in China so Singapore is the next best thing for many.
One woman flying in from Shenzhen told the BBC she and her friend had spent S$1,200 each on tickets alone. They’ve resorted to camping at a friend’s house after hotel rates across the city surged.
On the luxe end of things, the city’s landmark hotel Marina Bay Sands has sold out of its S$50,000 Swift packages which included four VIP tickets and a three-night stay in a suite.
Then there’s 22-year-old Allen Dungca in the Philippines, who scraped together his wages to take him and his mother to Singapore. This Thursday, they’ll take a four-hour bus ride to Manila, stay at an airport motel for the night, then grab their dawn flight the next day.
The enterprising student snapped up the travel package back in July. He eventually tracked down the tickets on a resale night, after weeks of desperate hunting. “I am very lucky,” he says of the S$400 outlay for seats in the nosebleed section. “The seller was kind and not a scalper.”