Singapore downplays payment to Taylor Swift amidst complaints from residents | Tourism Update
City-state’s culture minister says grant given to pop icon ‘not anywhere as high as speculated’.
Singapore has downplayed the size of a grant it paid Taylor Swift after the city-state’s efforts to lure the pop icon led to complaints from regional neighbours.
Singapore’s Culture Minister Edwin Tong stated that speculation about the grant’s size was inaccurate.
“I can say that it is not accurate and not anywhere as high as speculated, but due to business confidentiality, we cannot reveal the specific size and conditions of the grant,” Tong told Parliament in response to questions from lawmakers.
Tong explained that the government believes the economic impact of Swift’s six concert dates in Singapore will be significant and will outweigh the grant’s size.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had previously claimed that Singapore paid Swift between $2m and $3m on the condition that she did not perform in any other Southeast Asian country.
Philippine legislator Joey Salceda criticized Singapore’s reported grant, saying it was not indicative of good neighborly behavior.
Singapore officials had previously confirmed offering Swift a grant to perform in the city-state, citing the benefits to tourism-related sectors such as accommodation, retail, and dining.
According to Singapore’s Channel News Asia, demand for flights and accommodation around the concert dates increased by up to 30 percent for hotels and airlines.
Swift’s concerts in Singapore are part of her The Eras Tour and are the only stops she is making in Asia aside from four shows in Japan.
The sold-out shows, running until March 9, have attracted around 300,000 fans, including attendees from neighboring countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Swift, known as one of the most successful music artists with 14 Grammy wins and millions of album sales worldwide, performed her first Singapore concert on Saturday, following her Australian tour leg where she performed in front of 81,000 fans at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.