When Taylor Swift’s Era tour takes place in Singapore next year, Rjay Ignacio said he’ll be there – with or without tickets.
“Taylor Swift has a huge fan base in Asia,” said YouTube content creator from Pasig City, Philippines. “So the probability to get a ticket is very small.”
But that doesn’t stop him from making travel plans, he said.
“If I can’t buy a ticket, I’ll still go to Singapore,” he said. “I will [the] parking lot just to hear and feel” performance.
A growing trend
Filipino Rjay Ignacio said the photo was inspired by his favorite Taylor Swift album, “Folklore.” He said he would only travel “because of Taylor… I’m a big fan.”
Source: Rajay Ignacio
According to a May report by Deloitte titled “The Perpetual Experience Economy.”
Based on a survey of about 3,500 Americans, the report notes that the most popular motivations for traveling — spending time with loved ones and relaxing — have remained relatively stable.
“However, 2023 sees a leap in dynamics that could be extinguished by the pandemic — like special events and romantic vacations,” it said.
Farhan Abrol, a San Francisco resident who attended the French Open and Wimbledon in the past month, said the pandemic has brought travel and major music and sporting events to a halt, but is “definitely present for now.” There is a recovery.”
“I feel luxury is a popular reason to travel,” he says. However, it’s “not something that seems to resonate with millennials’ ways of spending money.”
For this age group, he says it’s about “stories rather than things.”
Travel for the ‘best seat’
Bangkok resident Kanyarat Teawprasong won tickets to see Swift perform in Singapore in a pre-sale of tickets with a lot of malice last week, where the online queue topped more than 1 million.
Now she and her boyfriend are planning a three-day trip to Singapore, which will be her fifth visit to the city-state — “always for concerts,” she said.
“The first stamp on my passport is for concerts,” she tells CNBC Travel.
“I’m someone who loves going to concerts, especially in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.”
Kanyarat Teawprasong, who appeared here at a Blackpink concert, said, “Besides attending the concert, I also get to travel to different countries.”
Source: Kanyarat Teawprasong
Occasionally, some of her favorite groups go to Thailand, she said, but she chooses to meet them elsewhere for a travel experience.
Additionally, “sometimes the reason I attend concerts abroad is to secure the best seats.”
Big spending
With more people willing to travel overseas for major events, cities that attract top billed events like Singapore — Swift’s only stop in Southeast Asia – will see millions of dollars in foreign cash pour into its hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions.
Swifties, or Taylor Swift fans, spend an average of $1,330 on tickets, food and travel, according to research firm QuestionPro. But those who travel internationally are likely to spend more, a fact exacerbated by Increased travel costsclimb even higher around famous events.
Companies are springing up to cater to these travelers, packing event tickets with hotel stays, meet and greets, golf, and other activities.
Live Nation Entertainment launched Vibee in April. It is selling packages to attend the Austin City Limited Music Festival in October (from $1,366), as well as a “VIP Experience” to attend. U2:UV concert in Las Vegas later this year (from $1,535), according to the airline’s website.
Vibee’s VIP packages for Lollapalooza 2023, to be held in Chicago’s Grant Park in August, have sold out, according to the firm’s website.
Armando L. Sanchez | Chicago Court | Tribune News Service | beautiful pictures
“Some of the international events we host include Dancing in the Sand, a weekend in the Bahamas hosted and curated by Lionel Richie,” Vibee president Harvey Cohen told CNBC Travel.
“We anticipate that the intersection between music and travel will only continue to intensify.”
How to save money
According to travel software company Navan, the average hotel price in the United States increased by 50% when Swift’s Era travel came to town. But data shows hotel prices more than doubled in places like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
In order to avoid facing “rapid price spikes,” Wid, a Jakarta resident, said one of his friends booked a hotel in Singapore before Swift’s tour tickets went on sale. He asked not to be identified by his last name because he bought other people’s concert tickets for a fee.
American Nan Palmero said room rates, as well as Qatar Airways flights, were inflated during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha.
“FIFA has locked down the system so you can’t get accommodation until you’ve bought tickets to the matches. By the time we were able to land accommodation, all the hotels were booked or told to people. there’s a VIP package.”
He and his father ended up booking a two-bedroom apartment managed by Accor, he said.
Nan Palmero said the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the first time he and his father had traveled internationally to attend a sporting event. “I jumped at the opportunity because it was a global event in a place I’d never been before.”
Source: Nan Palmero
As for flights, he said: “We ended the trip and flew to Istanbul via Delta, spent the night at an airport hotel, then departed the rest of the way to Doha via Qatar Airlines.”
Ignacio said he expected plane tickets to attend Swift’s concert to be expensive.
Instead of flying directly from the Philippines to Singapore, he said, “I’ll fly [to] Malaysia first.”
From there, he plans to take a six-hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, which he estimates could save himself up to $400.
