Singapore had signed a secretive exclusive deal with Taylor Swift to ensure the city-state was the only Southeast Asian stop in her blockbuster Eras world tour. Singapore’s move for the exclusivity deal sparked criticism from the neighbouring countries, including Thailand’s Prime Minister and Philippines’s lawmakers, citing the move as against the spirit of regional cooperation. Singapore’s Prime Minister defended the move on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia Summit. The week-long series of concerts from March 2nd to 9th in Singapore were a huge commercial success, attracting 300,000 fans, 70% of them from neighbouring countries. They reportedly spent more than USD370 million on hotels, food, and entertainment, with the cost of flight  into Singapore nearly tripling and accommodation bookings almost quintupling throughout the week. Following the event, the Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, visited Singapore last week to explore bilateral cooperation on hosting major concerts and other international events. Minister Uno also announced on Sunday (10/3) that Indonesia plans to establish the Indonesian Tourism Fund to help local organisers bring in big concerts as well as other major international events, with an initial endowment of IDR 2 trillion (€118 million). The Minister also pledged to improve infrastructure, permit issuance, and human capital to enable the initiative.Link di fonte: https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2024/03/12/indonesia-wants-to-work-with-singapore-to-host-big-concerts-world-events.html (ICE GIACARTA)

Fonte notizia: The Jakarta Post, 12 March 2024