Indonesia wants to work with Singapore to host big concerts and world events

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post/ANN): Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno visited Singapore recently and aims to explore potential bilateral cooperation on hosting major concerts and other international events amid pop singer Taylor Swift’s exclusive six-date concert series in the city-state.

During the visit, Sandiaga met with Grace Fu Hai Yien, Singapore’s minister-in-charge of trade relations as well as minister for sustainability and the environment.

Singapore hosted global pop star Taylor Swift for six performances between March 2 and Saturday.

“Considering the recent Taylor Swift concert in Singapore, the Singaporean economy has seen a significant increase, as the concert-goers brought in five times more spending than the typical tourists,” Sandiaga said in a statement on Sunday.

The city-state signed an exclusive deal with Swift to ensure it was the only South-East Asian stop in the 13-time Grammy winner’s Eras Tour. The terms of the deal have not been made public.

The deal has ruffled feathers in other countries of the region, but the city-state has claimed the move was not hostile to its neighbours.

Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Friday that Indonesia would not be outdone by Singapore, vowing that it, too, would begin organising large concerts with international appeal to boost tourism.

Sandiaga, meanwhile, said the government was preparing a special reserve called the Indonesia Tourism Fund to help local organizers bring in big concerts.

The fund would cover other events as well, he said, such as cultural gatherings and sporting competitions. The ministry also pledged to improve infrastructure, permit issuance and human capital to enable the initiative, including fighting ticket scalping.

“We hope promoters and event organizers will not face difficulties and that the process can cost less,” Sandiaga said, discussing the government’s efforts to digitalize permit applications and issuance.

The government is aiming to establish the fund before the end of this month with an initial endowment of Rp 2 trillion (US$129.1 million).

Swift has become known for bringing significant economic benefits to the cities she performs in, a phenomenon often referred to as “Swiftonomics”.

More than 300,000 tickets were sold for her six shows at Singapore’s National Stadium, with many fans traveling from other countries, according to Channel News Asia.

According to several reports, Swift’s stop in Singapore led to a 30 per cent increase in demand for accommodation. Singapore has previously hosted events such as Formula 1 races and a six-day concert series of British pop band Coldplay. The band performed on one date in Indonesia during the same tour. – Jakarta Post/ANN