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As I landed in Singapore’s Changi airport earlier this month when Taylor Swift was in the country, I was greeted by a sign written “Welcome to Singapore” – a not-so-subtle reference to Swift’s song, “Welcome to New York”. Under it, discount deals were advertised for fans attending Swift’s Eras Tour. With Singaporean-like efficiency, I went through the checkpoints – nearly all were automated – and out of the airport in less than twenty minutes (For my outbound flight, I went from the airport doors to my boarding gate in the same impressive time).
While I strolled through Orchard Road during my stay, Swift’s songs were played on repeat in the malls. Shops advertised Eras Tour-themed outfits and promotions for fans who win guess-the-lyrics games. Bars advertised Swift-themed cocktails. Marina Bay Sands hosted the “Taylor Swift The Eras Tour” experience, complete with a light and water show. People wore Eras Tour merch and friendship bracelets (a nod to the lyrics in one of Swift’s songs, “You’re on your own kid”), with 13 (Swift’s lucky number) scrawled on the back of their hands.
For anything Swift-related, the demand is there. That much is clear from a stroll through Singapore’s streets, from how quickly her tickets sold out in every stadium worldwide, and from the number of fans flying from all over South East Asia to Singapore, Swift’s only stop in the region.
The question is, why can’t Thailand capitalize on it?
It is not just the shrewd calculations of Singapore’s clever politicians who offered a lucrative deal to Swift in exchange for inserting the exclusivity clause that has provoked consternation from Singapore’s neighbours – although that was the final, heavy nail in the coffin. If there were enough incentives elsewhere, Swift’s team would not have agreed to those terms to play in Singapore and nowhere else in the region.
So what does Singapore have that Thailand does not? The answer is simple, a coherent, comprehensive and coordinated national effort to make the country a hub for concerts.
Its execution, however, is more complex. First and foremost, Thailand needs to make investments in its stadiums, public transport, and other logistical improvements. Singapore’s Sports Hub had a capacity of 55,000; Australia’s biggest stadium, Melbourne Cricket Ground, which hosted Swift and her fans (including many Thais) held over 100,000 people.
Rajamangala’s capacity – just shy of 50,000 – is not much less, so that is not a problem in itself. The problem lies in, as many concert-goers lamented, the logistical nightmare. There is ineffective crowd control and management; its lack of convenient BTS lines, MRT lines, or other public transportation hinders peoples’ ability to leave whilst taxis and motorcycles are too occupied with charging the most money they can. By contrast, Singapore’s Sports Hub has automated gates and efficient bag checks, two walkable stations, and free shuttling from the stadium.
This also links to my second, broader point: it is not enough to just improve the stadiums themselves; Thailand also needs to have the right conditions to welcome artists and fans. Our potential is there. Thailand’s tourism is a vibrant industry: our food is unrivalled, our culture is beautiful, and our beaches are picturesque. When Ed Sheeran toured in Bangkok, he showed off his experience getting a traditional Sak Yant tattoo and going to 7/11 to buy Thai childhood snacks.
But fostering an welcoming environment for artists and fans also means the political situation has to be right. This is not the first time that Thailand had been unable to capitalize on its potential to be a concert hub simply because it did not have the right conditions to do so. In 2014, Swift cancelled her sold-out concert for her Red Tour in Bangkok due to the political instability and coup d’etat. Move Forward Party then-leader Pita Limjaroenrat acknowledged this when he tweeted to invite her to Thailand following his party’s win at last year’s general elections, saying that “Thailand is back on track to be fully democratic.”
Third, once Thailand manages to secure an artist, our coherent, comprehensive and coordinated plan must exend to maximise the effect that the concert will bring on the local economy. Singapore recognised early on that people are treating Swift’s Eras Tour like a vacation, where they are willing to pay more because it was considered a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And Singapore carried out such efforts well. As shown from the moment I landed at Changi to the moment I left, by the Eras-Tour themed marketing with discounts, promotions, and tax incentives advertised throughout the city, its governments and private sectors knew how to take full advantage of the Eras Tour to boost its local economy.
And it paid off. CNN reported that inbound flights shot up by 186% when Swift brought her Eras Tour to Singapore. Bloomberg reported that The Eras Tour could boost Singapore’s economy by adding $225 to $300 million USD in Singapore’s first quarter. Its economists now projected Singapore’s GDP growth to be at 2.9 percent during this period, and the forecast for annual growth increased from 2.3% to 2.5% – in part due to the Eras Tour.
Srettha’s ability to bring Swift to Thailand would have boosted his popularity among Thais. This is not just because of the obvious opportunity it brings to boost the local economy. It is also because, as Swift mania grips Thailand and the rest of the world, young fans would genuinely appreciate the ability – and the acumen it takes – to bring such an A-lister to Thailand. References to TIME’s 2023 person of the year have been ingrained to popular culture. Her concerts are filled with couples proposing to her song “Love Story”. Friendship bracelets are now back in trend. Her lyrics are quoted left and right.
Indeed, for many Thais that have been unable to see her, it has been a “cruel summer.” Many have fought furiously in “The Great War” for tickets, and when failing to do so, turned to reselling sites to buy tickets with atrocious markups. Some have fallen victim to scams, flying to Singapore only to find out that the tickets they bought were invalid.
It is not only Srettha that recognised the opportunity Swift’s tour would have brought to the country. It was why Pita tweeted to invite Swift to Thailand. It was also why Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, Budapest mayor Gergely Karácsony, made similar pleas.
Swift’s South East Asia leg of her Eras Tour may have ended, but the opportunities have not. We may have yet to see the last of her tours. And Swift may be the biggest artist in the world at this time, but she is not the only one. Coldplay and Ed Sheeran recently played in Rajamangala; Bruno Mars will play later this month. Srettha must stay alert. If Thailand is truly open for business, as he claims in his TIME interview, then it must appear so.
To artists and to others, we have to sell our deal. It is more than just The Eras Tour experience in Thailand. It is Thailand and The Eras Tour experience. We have a lot to offer; we just have to tap into it.