Why overseas Swifties are willing to spend thousands to catch Taylor Swift in Singapore

For months, we’ve been hearing about how Taylor Swift’s decision to make Singapore the only Southeast Asian stop for her Eras Tour concert is good for the nation. Don’t get me wrong: It is an objectively good decision. A 30 per cent spike in demand for hotels and flights here as well as a potential revenue exceeding US$787 million in economic value are excellent figures by any metric.

However, we don’t really hear about the people who helped make those numbers possible: Overseas fans travelling to Singapore for the Eras Tour.

Fans of Taylor Swift wait for the doors of the Monumental stadium to open for her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo: AP/Natacha Pisarenko)

A Swiftie from Thailand we spoke to said she has spent around 50,000 baht (S$1,868) to watch Taylor Swift here.

That is a lot of money. So why do it? CNA Lifestyle reached out to a few fans from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines to see why they’re willing to spend that much money to see Taylor Swift here.