American singer Taylor Swift’s concerts are estimated to contribute nearly US$400 million to Singapore’s economy.

“I can assure members of the House that the economic benefits to Singapore are assessed to be significant,” The Straits Times quoted Singapore’s Minister of Culture, Community, and Youth Edwin Tong as saying.

American singer Taylor Swift. Photo from her Instagram

He highlighted direct economic advantages, including increased tourist arrivals, spending on tickets, flights, hotel accommodations, as well as entertainment, retail, and dining in Singapore.

Swift’s concerts are projected to generate S$350-500 million ($260.3-371.9 million) in tourism receipts, assuming approximately 70% of concertgoers are flying in from overseas, according to Erica Tay, director of macro research at Maybank.

Following the announcement of the concert dates, Singapore hotel bookings for March 2024 surged by 10%, according to data from hotel analytics company Smith Travel Research.

Both Singapore’s flagship carrier Singapore Airlines and budget airline Scoot reported increased demand for flights to Singapore in March, particularly from Southeast Asia.

Jetstar Asia also confirmed a roughly 20% surge in demand for routes connecting destinations like Bangkok, Manila, and Jakarta to Singapore, CNBC reported.

In July 2023, UOB, a Singaporean regional bank, recorded an average increase of 45% in daily credit card applications in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam after Swift announced her performances in Singapore. The surge was attributed to UOB cardholders gaining early access to concert tickets.

Her Eras Tour in the U.S. last year was estimated to generate around $4.6 billion in consumer spending.

Singapore is positioning “concert economics” as a new growth driver, potentially adding hundreds of millions of dollars in tourism receipts.