Swifties make pricey pilgrimage to star’s only Southeast Asian stop

SINGAPORE, March 2 (Reuters) – Filipina Charlyn Suizo is in Singapore this week for one reason only: Taylor Swift.

The 30-year-old software engineer, who heads a Philippines group of Swifties, as fans of the singer are known, flew in from Manila on Friday with 17 friends.

She is spending at least $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 ($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.

Swift is this week playing six sold-out nights in Singapore, her only stop in Southeast Asia.

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 ($260 million to $370 million) on hotels, food and entertainment.

By comparison, the F1 Singapore Grand Prix has generated around S$2 billion ($1.5 billion) in tourism receipts since it started in 2008, according to the trade ministry.

Meanwhile, analysts at HSBC say hotel rooms in Singapore now cost 30% more than in pre-pandemic 2019.

Edmund Ong, general manager at Trip.com Singapore, said that from 1-9 March, 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%.

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

Last month, the government said it had given Swift a grant to play in Singapore. It did not disclose how much but said the concerts were “likely to generate significant benefits to the Singapore economy, especially to tourism activities such as hospitality, retail, travel and dining”.

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.

Singapore has seen a boom in concerts since pandemic lockdowns ended, with big names like Blackpink, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran playing sold-out shows. (Reporting by Xinghui Kok and Joseph Campbell; editing by Giles Elgood)

Information revealed: Taylor Swift took a private plane to Singapore early and is currently staying at the most expensive Capella resort in Singapore…

On the afternoon of February 27, Taylor Swift took a private plane to Singapore.

Although it was not until the evening of March 2 that Taylor Swift performed the opening night of the first night in a series of 6 shows of The Eras Tour in Singapore, from the afternoon of February 27, the female artist was present here. Specifically, after the end of the 4th concert in Sydney, Taylor Swift landed on private plane number VJT993 at Seletar airport after about 8 hours in the sky.

Seletar is a small airport in Singapore located far from the world-famous main Changi airport, so Taylor Swift’s appearance did not cause too much commotion. Singapore’s The Strait Times also had a detailed report on Taylor Swift’s journey.

According to The Strait Times, Taylor Swift’s private plane landed in Singapore at around 4 pm on February 27 (Vietnam time).

A large number of Taylor Swift fans were present at the airport to welcome their idol, although this schedule was kept confidential.

The airport where Taylor Swift chose to land is a small and old airport to avoid noise as much as possible.

Reporters from Singaporean newspapers and news sites were also present at the scene.

According to the initial guess of the majority of fans, Taylor Swift will stay in an expensive luxury room at the Marina Bay Sands hotel complex because this is the official companion of The Eras Tour Singapore. However, according to paparazzi in Singapore, Taylor Swift’s car initially went towards Marina Bay Sands but then turned towards Sentosa Island.

Taylor Swift’s residence in Singapore is the luxury Capella hotel and resort, not Marina Bay Sands as mistakenly believed.

Taylor Swift’s motorcade turns into Capella resort.

Capella Resort is one of the most luxurious resorts in this island nation. The highest room price here is up to 19,000 SGD (nearly 350 million VND) for 1 night.

Taylor Swift’s fan community in Singapore as well as Asia “stand still” when the “music industry” comes to Singapore so soon. From the afternoon of February 27 until the evening of March 9, Taylor Swift will stay in Singapore for 12 days. Thus, there is a very high possibility that the audience will not only see Taylor Swift on stage but the female artist will also visit here and there. The Eras Tour also marks 10 years since Taylor Swift returned to Singapore since the Red Tour in 2014.

On forums, Taylor Swift fans globally as well as in Singapore also called on the audience to be civilized, not to trespass or wait outside the female artist’s residence. “Respect her, the only place you should see her is on stage!”, “Don’t stalk her!”,… are posts that have received many interactions and comments on social networks. X (Twitter).

Taylor Swift will perform on the evenings of March 2-3-4-7-8-9 at Singapore National Stadium. It is expected that there will be more than 350 thousand spectators for 6 shows.