STB gave grant to Taylor Swift's Singapore concerts, other government bodies 'worked directly' with promoter AEG
SINGAPORE — The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) provided a grant to help bring Taylor Swift's world tour to the country next month, her only stop in Southeast Asia.

Taylor Swift performs during the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Dec 13, 2019.
This audio is AI-generated.
SINGAPORE — The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) provided a grant to help bring Taylor Swift's world tour to the country next month, her only stop in Southeast Asia.
STB and the Ministry of Community, Culture and Youth (MCCY) said this on Tuesday (Feb 20) in response to media queries, although they stopped short of confirming if an exclusive deal was struck preventing the US pop sensation from holding her Eras world tour elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
Questions surrounding a performance deal surfaced last Friday when Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the Singapore government offered US$2 million (S$2.69 million) to US$3 million per show in exchange for exclusivity in Southeast Asia.
According to Mr Srettha, concert promoter AEG had informed him of the arrangement.
In their joint response to CNA's queries, MCCY and STB did not specify the size of the grant or the conditions attached to it.
They said MCCY and the Kallang Alive Sport Management had "worked directly" with AEG for Swift to perform in Singapore at the National Stadium, recognising that there would be "significant demand" from local and regional fans.
"STB also supported the event through a grant," they added.
Kallang Alive Sport Management, a wholly owned entity under MCCY, manages the Singapore Sports Hub where the National Stadium is located.
Swift has six sold-out shows scheduled to be held from March 2 to March 9.
More than 300,000 tickets have been sold, with a "significant" number of fans travelling from other countries, said MCCY and STB.
"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," they added.
Singapore is one of two stops in Asia for Swift's Eras tour, having performed four shows in Tokyo earlier this month.
CNA has contacted AEG for comment, as well as Swift's team including her record label and publicist.
Major international acts have given a boost to the economies of cities as a result of concert-related tourism.
Swift's tour in Australia, for instance, could generate A$1.2 billion (S$1.06 billion) in economic value in Melbourne alone where she had three shows earlier this month, according to the city's Lord Mayor Sally Capp.
The singer-songwriter has another four shows in Sydney from Feb 23 to Feb 26, making it seven in total in Australia.
After Singapore, her next show will be in Paris on May 9, followed by other European destinations like London, Amsterdam, Milan, Munich and Vienna.
When the state government of Western Australia reached an agreement with British rock band Coldplay for an exclusive show in Perth last year, it was described as a "major tourism coup".
The state government said the performance was expected to drive thousands of international and interstate visitors to Western Australia.
"THE GREAT WAR" OF TICKET SALES
Swift's fans in the region were left disappointed last year when it was announced that Singapore would be the singer-songwriter's only stop in Southeast Asia.
Fans in the Philippines even ran a hashtag campaign #WeWantErasTourPhillipines to try to persuade Swift to perform in the country.
In Singapore, tickets to her shows were snapped up quickly when they went on sale, in what was dubbed "The Great War".
Local bank UOB, whose customers had access to a presale, said the bank saw a surge in card application volumes across Southeast Asia.
At least a million people joined a virtual queue to try their luck on the Ticketmaster site during the presale, and some were left frustrated after receiving error messages.
When it came to general ticket sales, some fans started to queue outside SingPost outlets more than 24 hours in advance.
Singapore's status as a concert hub became a talking point, with the country attracting a string of top performers such as Coldplay and Ed Sheeran. There were also discussions online about how to prevent scalping and whether tickets should be reserved for Singapore residents.
MCCY and STB said on Tuesday that the Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM) will continue to actively bring a range of lifestyle and entertainment offerings to the Singapore Sports Hub, which came under the government's management in 2022.
"KASM works with event organisers to create a uniquely Singapore experience for Singaporeans and visitors. It makes use of its strong global relationships, and the multi-disciplinary experiences and expertise of the KASM team," said MCCY and STB.
They added: "Singapore has much to offer as a destination for large-scale international events, with our strategic location, quality infrastructure, safety, efficiency and diverse cultural offerings." CNA
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