Taylor Swift’s Singapore shows an expensive lesson for Malaysia, say experts
Published on: Wednesday, March 06, 2024
By:
FMT, Elill Easwaran
Taylor Swift was on the government’s radar after it signed a contract with a US venue management company in 2022 to make Kuala Lumpur Sports City in Bukit Jalil a magnet for sports and live entertainment. (AFP pic)
PETALING JAYA: Industry experts have described the Taylor Swift concerts currently taking place in Singapore as an expensive lesson for the Malaysian government, as they could have helped boost the country’s economy.
Speaking to FMT, Karyawan president Freddie Fernandez said the concerts would not only give Singapore’s economy a tremendous boost, but would also place the nation firmly on the world map as a must-visit destination in the region.
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“With Visit Malaysia Year coming up in 2026, we hope that the Malaysian government will not be left behind and will give its full support and encouragement to efforts to bring in prominent international acts.
“The Malaysian government should not only encourage them (international acts) to come and perform here, but also provide the necessary funding and incentives which will in turn generate huge numbers in terms of tourist arrivals from the region and beyond,” Fernandez said.
Swift is currently partway through six sold-out shows in Singapore, her only stop in Southeast Asia.
FMT columnist Frankie D’Cruz had claimed that Malaysia had the American pop star in its grasp in 2022, but lost her to Singapore a year later.
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He said that Swift was on the Malaysian government’s radar after it signed a contract with a US venue management company in 2022 to make Kuala Lumpur Sports City in Bukit Jalil a magnet for sports and live entertainment.
However, the deal was not capitalised on when Anwar Ibrahim became prime minister after the 15th general election, and the American company was reduced to a consultant’s role for the optimisation of Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
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On Tuesday, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the incentive provided to Swift to make Singapore the only Southeast Asian stop on her world tour was not a hostile act towards its neighbours.
The city-state previously said it had given Swift a grant to play there, without mentioning the terms of the deal – an announcement that annoyed other countries, with the Thai prime minister saying the grant was made on condition that Singapore would be Swift’s only stop in Southeast Asia.
Fernandez said although calls for concerts to be cancelled or disallowed had thankfully been ignored by the authorities, the publicity generated in the international media had a negative impact.
“We would like to appeal to these parties to stop making such demands as they don’t serve any purpose other than to hinder the growth of the tourism industry and, subsequently, the country’s economy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Livescape Group CEO Iqbal Ameer said losing the opportunity to host Swift was an expensive lesson for Malaysia.
He pointed to Livescape’s track record of delivering “tourism-back” shows in the country, with returns of up to 20 times more than pre-pandemic numbers.
“It is evident that the Malaysian government recognises the economic potential of such live events,” he said.
Iqbal called for the formation of an investment council comprising the transport and finance ministries, GLCs, and industry players that could identify and evaluate opportunities quickly and facilitate their implementation.
Malaysian Tourist Guides Council president Jimmy Leong said Malaysia had too much red tape, as well as unfriendly political views and unnecessary restrictions, religious or otherwise.
“We have unclear and inconsistent policies that change from time to time,” he said, calling for a complete revamp of the policies and procedures, with the first step being clear guidelines and standard operating procedures.
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