STB gave grant to Taylor Swift’s Singapore concerts, other government bodies ‘worked directly’ with promoter AEG

SINGAPORE — The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) provided a grant to help bring Taylor Swift’s world tour to the country next month, her only stop in Southeast Asia.

STB and the Ministry of Community, Culture and Youth (MCCY) said this on Tuesday (Feb 20) in response to media queries, although they stopped short of confirming if an exclusive deal was struck preventing the US pop sensation from holding her Eras world tour elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Questions surrounding a performance deal surfaced on Friday when Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the Singapore government offered US$2 million (S$2.69 million) to US$3 million per show in exchange for exclusivity in Southeast Asia.

According to Mr Srettha, concert promoter AEG had informed him of the arrangement.

In their joint response to CNA’s queries, MCCY and STB did not specify the size of the grant or the conditions attached to it.

They said MCCY and the Kallang Alive Sport Management had “worked directly” with AEG for Swift to perform in Singapore at the National Stadium, recognising that there would be “significant demand” from local and regional fans. 

“STB also supported the event through a grant,” they added.

Kallang Alive Sport Management is a wholly owned entity under MCCY that manages the Singapore Sports Hub where the National Stadium is located. 

Swift has six sold-out shows scheduled to be held from March 2 to March 9.

More than 300,000 tickets have been sold, with a “significant” number of fans travelling from other countries, said MCCY and STB.

“It is likely to generate significant benefits to the Singapore economy, especially to tourism activities such as hospitality, retail, travel and dining, as has happened in other cities in which Taylor Swift has performed,” they added.

Singapore is one of two stops in Asia on her Eras tour. Swift performed four shows in Tokyo earlier this month.

After Singapore, her next show will be in Paris on May 9, followed by other European destinations like London, Amsterdam, Milan, Munich and Vienna.

Major international acts have reportedly brought economic boosts to cities as a result of concert-related tourism.

For Singapore, Traveloka’s president said flight bookings during the period around Coldplay and Taylor Swift’s concerts increased six-fold.

Last year, the state government of Western Australia said it reached an agreement with British rock band Coldplay for an exclusive show in Perth. Calling it a “major tourism coup”, the state government said the performance was expected to drive thousands of international and interstate visitors to Western Australia.

“THE GREAT WAR” OF TICKET SALES

Tickets to Singapore’s shows were snapped up quickly when they went on sale, in what was dubbed “The Great War”.

Local bank UOB, whose customers had access to a presale, said the bank saw a surge in card application volumes across Southeast Asia.

At least a million people joined a virtual queue to try their luck on the Ticketmaster site during the presale, and some received error messages.

When it came to general ticket sales, some fans started to queue outside SingPost outlets more than 24 hours in advance.

Swift’s concert, along with others by popular performers such as Coldplay and Ed Sheeran, sparked conversations about Singapore’s status as a concert hub, how to prevent scalping and whether tickets should be reserved for Singapore residents.

MCCY and STB said on Tuesday that the Kallang Alive Sport Management will continue to actively bring a range of lifestyle and entertainment offerings to the Sports Hub. 

“Singapore has much to offer as a destination for large-scale international events, with our strategic location, quality infrastructure, safety, efficiency and diverse cultural offerings,” they added. CNA