Thai Prime Minister and Finance Minister Srettha Thavisin has disclosed why global music sensation Taylor Swift decided to exclude Thailand from her “The Eras Tour” schedule.
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Photo from Swift’s Instagram |
As reported by Bangkok Post, the Prime Minister unveiled these insights in his keynote address at the iBusiness Forum 2024, held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok on Friday. He noted that his understanding stemmed from a discussion with the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), a leading entity in worldwide concert promotion.
The Prime Minister stated that AEG revealed to him that financial enticements from the Singaporean government were crucial in Swift’s decision to choose Singapore as the exclusive Southeast Asian location for her concerts. He was informed that Singapore offered Swift between US$2 million-3 million per performance, a fact that was not previously known to the Thai authorities.
“If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand,” the prime minister expressed his regret, highlighting the economic impact of such events on boosting tourism and benefiting entities ranging from hotels to local street vendors.
Celebrated singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, 35, will perform six nights at Singapore’s National Stadium from Mar. 2-4 and from Mar. 7-9, making it her sole Southeast Asian appearance for “The Eras Tour.”
Numerous Thai fans reportedly began organizing trips abroad to experience the pop sensation in concert following the announcement of Swift’s itinerary last year.
The Guardian also reported that some speculated the scheduling of the singer-songwriter’s tour might be influenced by concerns over political instability, referencing the alleged cancellation of Swift’s 2014 Bangkok concert due to a military coup.
