Seeing the Powerful Circulation of Money from Taylor Swift's Concert in Singapore
Taylor Swift's concert which lasted for six days in Singapore is believed to have had a positive impact in boosting the economy of the Lion Country. (AFP/DAVID GRAY).
-- Taylor Swift successfully took Southeast Asia by storm with six consecutive days of concerts in Singapore this month.
However, this annoyed neighboring countries. The reason is, Swift and the Singapore government secretly agreed to make the Lion Country the only country in the ASEAN region to be visited by The Eras Tour.
Reporting from CNN, Tuesday (5/3), the Singapore government was heavily criticized for making this exclusive agreement by paying a number of incentives to the mega star's agency.
This policy was implemented because the local government believes that Swift's concert will provide a breath of fresh air for the tourism industry and domestic economy after being battered by Covid 19.
So, how devastating is the economic impact of Taylor Swift's concert in Singapore?
Taylor Swift performed for 6 nights and managed to sell out 300 thousand tickets in Singapore.
Trip.com General Manager Edmund Ong revealed that the tour made air services to Singapore jump by 186 percent with accommodation bookings increasing almost 5 times.
Fans are willing to spend their savings to be able to meet the star.
The Singapore dollar is known as one of the strongest in Asia, so everything is more expensive for tourists from neighboring countries. As an illustration, Singapore's GDP per capita reaches US$83 thousand, 23 times bigger than the Philippines which is only around US$3,500 per year.
"My friends and I spent approximately $2 thousand (Rp. 31.4 million) for her (Taylor Swift's) tickets and transportation accommodation from our country," said a fan from the Philippines, Christel Kaye Kuan.
HSBC ASEAN economist Yun Liu estimates that Swift's big concert contributed 10 percent of GDP from the tourism services sector in Singapore.
Meanwhile, a number of economists from Maybank estimated that 70 percent of the audience was made up of foreign tourists who spent US$370 million or Rp. 5.8 trillion in Singapore.
Responding to Singapore and Taylor's cooperation, Philippine Member of Parliament Joey Salceda was disappointed. "That's not what a good neighbor would do," Joey said.
Not remaining silent, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong immediately responded to the criticism.
"We are not 'unfriendly', we negotiated an agreement with Taylor Swift to come to Singapore, of course there were incentives given and approved by her, and I don't see that as a wrong action," said Lee, at a press conference in Melbourne during the visit. his country to Australia.
There was news circulating about a grant for Taylor Swift, Singapore's Minister of Culture Edward Tong confirmed that the issue was false.
"The funds are inaccurate and not what the public expects," Edward said earlier this week.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin previously claimed that Singapore paid Taylor Swift US$3 million or around Rp. 47.2 billion per show, Friday (16/2).
The circulation of money from Taylor Swift's concert is considered to have great potential to improve Singapore's economy.
Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour series itself is predicted to be the highest grossing tour of all time with a value of US$1 billion or IDR 16.1 trillion.
Melihat Dahsyat Perputaran Uang dari Konser Taylor Swift di Singapura
Konser Taylor Swift yang berlangsung selama enam hari di Singapura diyakini berdampak positif dalam mendongkrak ekonomi Negeri Singa. (AFP/DAVID GRAY).
-- Taylor Swift sukses menggemparkan Asia Tenggara dengan konser enam hari berturut-turut di Singapura bulan ini.
Namun, hal itu membuat negara tetangga kesal. Pasalnya, Swift dan pemerintah Singapura diam-diam sepakat untuk menjadikan Negeri Singa sebagai satu-satunya negara di kawasan ASEAN yang disinggahi The Eras Tour.
Dilansir dari CNN, Selasa (5/3), pemerintah Singapura dihujat habis-habisan lantaran membuat kesepakatan eksklusif itu dengan membayar sejumlah insentif kepada agensi sang mega bintang.
Kebijakan itu dilakukan karena pemerintah setempat meyakini konser Swift akan memberikan angin segar terhadap industri pariwisata dan ekonomi domestik usai babak belur dihantam Covid 19.
Lantas, seberapa dahsyat dampak ekonomi dari konser Taylor Swift di Singapura?
Taylor Swift tampil selama 6 malam dengan berhasil menjual habis tiket sebanyak 300 ribu di Singapura.
Manajer Umum Trip.com Edmund Ong mengungkap tur tersebut membuat layanan jalur udara menuju Singapura melonjak sebesar 186 persen dengan pemesanan akomodasi melesat hampir 5 kali lipat.
Para fans yang rela habiskan isi tabungan mereka untuk bisa bertemu dengan sang bintang.
Dolar Singapura dikenal sebagai salah satu yang terkuat di Asia, sehingga segala sesuatu memang lebih mahal bagi para wisatawan dari negara tetangga. Sebagai gambaran, PDB per kapita Singapura mencapai US$83 ribu, 23 kali lebih besar dari Filipina yang hanya sekitar US$3.500 per tahun.
"Saya dan teman-teman menghabiskan kurang lebih $2 ribu (Rp 31,4 juta) untuk tiketnya (Taylor Swift) dan akomodasi transportasi dari negara kami," ucap penggemar asal Filipina, Christel Kaye Kuan.
Ekonom HSBC ASEAN Yun Liu menaksir konser akbar Swift itu menyumbang 10 persen dari PDB dari sektor layanan darmawisata di Singapura.
Sementara, sejumlah ekonom dari Maybank memperkirakan 70 persen penontonnya diisi oleh turis asing yang menghabiskan US$370 juta atau Rp5,8 triliun di Singapura.
Menanggapi kerja sama Singapura dan Taylor, Anggota Parlemen Filipina Joey Salceda kecewa. "Itu bukanlah hal yang dilakukan oleh negara tetangga yang baik," ujar Joey.
Tak tinggal diam, Perdana Menteri Singapura Lee Hsien Loong langsung membalas kritik itu.
"Kami bukannya 'tidak bersahabat', kami merundingkan perjanjian dengan Taylor Swift untuk datang ke Singapura saja, tentu ada insentif yang diberikan dan disetujui olehnya, dan saya tidak lihat itu adalah tindakan yang salah" tutur Lee, dalam konferensi pers di Melbourne di tengah kunjungan negaranya ke Australia.
Sempat beredar kabar dana hibah untuk Taylor Swift, Menteri Kebudayaan Singapura Edward Tong memastikan isu tersebut salah.
"Dana itu tidak akurat dan tidak seperti yang diperkirakan publik," ujar Edward pada awal pekan ini.
Perdana Menteri Thailand Srettha Thavisin sebelumnya mengklaim Singapura membayar Taylor Swift US$3 juta atau sekitar Rp47,2 miliar per pertunjukan, Jumat (16/2).
Perputaran uang dari konser Taylor Swift ini dinilai sangat berpotensi untuk meningkatkan ekonomi Singapura.
Rangkaian The Eras Tour Taylor Swift sendiri digadang-gadang menjadi tur dengan pendapatan kotor tertinggi sepanjang masa dengan nilai mencapai US$1 miliar atau Rp16,1 triliun.
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