Indonesia eyes Taylor Swift concerts to boost tourism spending

Indonesia eyes Taylor Swift concerts to boost tourism spending - VnExpress International

VNExpress  By Hoang Vu

Sun 2/25/2024, 11:40 pm (PT)

The Indonesian government plans to follow Singapore to host Taylor Swift concerts in a bid to attract foreign tourists to stay longer and spend more.

American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift at a concert. Photo from Taylor Swift's Instagram

"We need 'Swiftonomics' for Indonesian tourism," Tourism Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said as cited by Bloomberg.

He was referring to how Singapore awarded Taylor Swift a grant to perform in the city-state, helping lure the fans of American singer, known as "Swifties."

The Indonesian government has established a tourism fund worth 1,000 billion rupiah (US$64 million) to help organizers bid for events similar to Taylor Swift's concert, according to the South China Morning Post.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told a business forum on Feb. 16 that Singapore had paid Swift 100 million baht ($2.77 million) per show, reportedly on condition that Singapore would be Swift's only show in Southeast Asia, Reuters reported.

Southeast Asia's largest economy also plans to waive visas for visitors in more countries and simplify permits to make it easier for domestic event organizers to organize large-scale music events.

Indonesia welcomed 11.7 million foreign tourists last year and aims to draw 14 million this year.

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