Singapore (VNA) – American pop star Taylor Swift has yet to arrive but the knock-on effects of her upcoming stop in Singapore are already being felt and are likely to be wide-ranging.
Hotels and airlines said demand for flights and accommodation around the dates of Swift’s concerts has increased up to 30%, according to Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Earlier, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said it provided a grant to help bring Swift’s Eras tour to the country next month, her only stop in Southeast Asia.
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, said the tourism board and the Ministry of Community, Culture and Youth (MCCY) in a joint statement.
According to one expert, Swift’s concerts in Singapore could generate revenue in the ballpark of and possibly exceed the estimated 787 million USD in economic value from her time in Melbourne, Australia.
Singapore is one of the two stops in Asia for Swift, having performed four shows in Tokyo earlier this month. The star has sold out all six of her shows here, which will be held starting from March 2.
More than 300,000 tickets have been sold, with a “significant” number of fans travelling from other countries, said the MCCY and the STB.
Demand for flights to Singapore on both Singapore Airlines and Scoot has increased in March, particularly from Southeast Asia, the airlines said.
Jetstar Asia said demand has risen by 20% for routes connecting destinations like Bangkok, Manila, and Jakarta to Singapore, during the period when Swift is performing.
Hotels said they also have seen an uptick in demand.
Cavaliere Giovanni Viterale, cluster general manager for Raffles Sentosa Singapore and Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, said the demand from international visitors cum concertgoers continues to have a positive impact on the resort’s occupancy, which will be at peak levels from early March onwards.
Viterale added that the majority of the reservations originate from Southeast Asia.
Other hotels like M Hotel Singapore and One Farrer are also seeing increases of up to 30% in demand from Southeast Asia
