Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the Singapore government spent millions of dollars to be the exclusive country to organize Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” in Southeast Asia.

In a speech at the iBusiness Forum 2024 economic forum on February 16, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that AEG company – specializing in organizing international tours – revealed the reason why Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour did not come to Thailand. According to AEG, the Singapore government has sponsored two to three million USD for each singer’s performance here. The total of six days is worth 12 to 18 million USD (about 450 billion VND). The move makes Singapore the only country with The Eras Tour in the Southeast Asia region.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin at iBusiness Forum 2024. Photo: Facebook Srettha Thavisin

Mr. Srettha commented that the moves of the Singaporean authorities were smart and “astute”, and admitted that they would act like other countries if they knew about the above agreement. He said the state’s financial support for superstar performances is worthwhile. According to him, the country will profit greatly from the spending of foreign fans coming to watch music, meaning the performances will boost the economy. International visitors will pay for domestic service and product industries, from “hotels to tourism activities and roadside barbecue shops”.

“If she comes to Thailand, the cost of holding a concert here is cheaper and attracts many investors and tourists to visit. On the other hand, we have to spend at least 500 million baht (about 343 billion VND). ) to invest but this number is worth it,” he added.

According to Sky News, Taylor Swift planned to hold a concert at the Impact Arena Convention Center – Arena Complex, Muang Thong Thani in 2014, but it was canceled. The organizers did not give a specific reason, but the event took place after the coup in Thailand.

Taylor Swift, 35 years old, is known as the “country music princess” of the American music industry. She debuted in 2006 and soon reaped many achievements, receiving 14 Grammy awards, 29 Billboard awards and success with many international tours. In December 2023, the Guinness organization recognized the artist’s Eras Tour as the highest-grossing tour of all time, reaching more than one billion USD.

The Eras Tour starts in March 2023 and is expected to end in December this year, and will be held in many European and Asian countries, with a total of 151 shows. On average, each show attracts more than 70 thousand spectators, earning 17 million USD, each ticket costs about 238 USD.

In October 2023, Taylor became a billionaire thanks to the success of the tour and reached 2.2 billion USD after shows in North America – surpassing Elton John’s record of 939 million USD. Singers earn about 85% of total ticket sales – a high ratio that is rare in the music industry.

The Eras Tour in Singapore takes place over six days from March 2 to 9 (no March 5 and 6) at the national stadium with a capacity of 55,000 spectators. All six music nights were sold out. After Singapore, France is Taylor Swift’s next stop. She is currently in Australia preparing for her next stage in Sydney from February 23 to 25.