Taylor Swift fans make pricey Singapore pilgrimage to only Southeast Asian concert: ‘never spent big for someone else’

She is spending at least US$6,000 on her flights, concert tickets and accommodation. That is slightly above the average annual household income in her home country.

“This is the biggest amount I have spent for a concert. I never really spent big … for someone else, just Taylor Swift,” said Suizo, who has splashed out on a VIP ticket costing more than S$1,000 (US$745). She plans to see three of Swift’s six performances in Singapore.

Suizo is among thousands of Swifties descending on Singapore this week from all over Southeast Asia to catch the American star’s Eras Tour, giving the sluggish local economy a much-needed boost.

Chua Hak Bin, an economist at Maybank, estimates that seven in 10 of the 300,000 concertgoers will be coming in from abroad, spending between S$350 million and S$500 million (US$260 million to US$370 million) on hotels, food and entertainment.

Edmund Ong, general manager at Trip.com Singapore, said that from March 1-9, the cost of flights into Singapore nearly tripled while accommodation bookings almost quintupled. Bookings for attractions and tours shot up by more than 2,300 per cent.

Economic growth in Singapore slowed to 1.1 per cent last year from 3.8 per cent in 2022, with growth of 1-3 per cent expected this year, according to the government.

The announcement annoyed other countries in the region, with the Thai prime minister saying the grant was made on condition that it would be Swift’s only show in Southeast Asia, while a Filipino lawmaker said it “isn’t what good neighbours do”. Singapore’s government did not confirm the exclusivity clause.