When Taylor Swift’s Eras tour involves Singapore next yr, Rjay Ignacio has said he will probably be there – whether he has a ticket or not.
“Taylor Swift has an enormous following in Asia,” said a YouTube content creator based in Pasig City, Philippines. “So the probability of getting a ticket could be very low.”
But that does not stop him from planning his trip, he said.
“If I can not get a ticket, I’m still going to Singapore,” he said. “I intend to [the] car parking zone just to listen to and feel the performance.
Growing trend
In keeping with a May report published by Deloitte titled “The Experience Economy Endures”.
Based on a survey of roughly 3,500 Americans, the report notes that essentially the most common motivators for traveling – spending time with family members and relaxing – remain relatively constant.
“Nonetheless, 2023 saw a spike in motivations which have likely been dampened by the pandemic – comparable to special events and romantic getaways,” it said.
Filipino Rjay Ignacio said this photo was inspired by his favorite Taylor Swift album Folklore. He said he would only travel “for Taylor … I’m an enormous fan.”
Source: Rjay Ignacio
The pandemic has put travel and major sporting and music events on hold, but “there’s definitely a rebound happening straight away,” said San Francisco resident Farhan Abrol, who attended the French Open and Wimbledon last month.
“I feel like luxury is a typical reason to travel,” he said. Nonetheless, “it isn’t something that seems to resonate with millennial ways of spending money.”
He said this age group is more about “stories over things.”
Traveling to the “best places”
Bangkok resident Kanyarat Teawprasong secured tickets to Swift’s performance in Singapore heavily maligned advance ticket sales last week, where online queues exceeded 1 million.
Now she and her boyfriend are planning a three-day trip to Singapore, which will probably be her fifth visit to the city-state – “at all times for gigs,” she said.
“The primary stamp on my passport was to attend live shows,” she told CNBC Travel.
“I’m someone who really enjoys going to live shows, especially in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.”
Kanyarat Teawprasong, shown here on the Blackpink concert, said, “Along with attending the concert, I may travel to different countries.”
Source: Kanyarat Teawprasong
Occasionally, a few of her favorite groups come to Thailand, but she chooses to see them elsewhere to experience the trip, she said.
Also, “sometimes the rationale I’m going to shows abroad is to get the very best seats.”
Big expenses
As more and more people need to travel abroad for large events, cities that attract the very best events like Singapore – Swift’s only stop in Southeast Asia — will see tens of millions of foreign money flow into its hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions.
Taylor Swift fans spend a mean of $1,330 on tickets, food and travel, in keeping with research firm QuestionPro. But those that travel abroad are prone to spend significantly more, made worse by rising travel costs, which frequently increase even more with high-profile events.
Businesses sprang as much as cater to those travelers, packing event tickets with hotel stays, social gatherings, golf and other activities.
Entertainment company Live Nation launched Vibee in April. Selling packages to attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October (starting at $1,366), plus a “VIP Experience” to attend U2:UV live shows in Las Vegas later this yr (from $1,535), in keeping with his website.
In keeping with the Vibee website, VIP packages for Lollapalooza 2023, which will probably be held in Chicago’s Grant Park in August, have already sold out.
Armando L. Sanchez | Chicago Tribune | Tribune Information Service | Getty Images
“A few of our international curated events include Dancing on the Sand, a weekend getaway within the Bahamas starred and curated by Lionel Richie,” Vibee CEO Harvey Cohen told CNBC Travel.
“We anticipate that the intersection of music and travel will only grow stronger.”
Ways to avoid wasting
In keeping with travel software company Navan, average hotel prices in america increase by 50% when Swift’s Eras tour involves town. But the information showed that hotel prices more than doubled in places like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
To avoid an “astronomical price increase”, Jakarta resident Wid said certainly one of his friends booked a hotel in Singapore before Swift’s concert tickets went on sale. He asked that his name not be used because he buys concert tickets for other people for a fee.
American Nan Palmero said Qatar Airways’ accommodation in addition to flights have been inflated as a consequence of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha.
“FIFA blocked the system so no accommodation may very well be obtained until match tickets were received. By the point we were capable of land, all of the hotels were booked or rented to individuals who had VIP packages.”
He and his father eventually booked a two-bedroom apartment managed by Accor, he said.
Nan Palmero said the 2022 FIFA World Cup was the primary time he and his father traveled abroad for sporting events. “I took the chance since it’s a worldwide event in a spot I’ve never been.”
source: Nan Palmero
Regarding flights, he said: “We ended up stopping our journey and flying to Istanbul via Delta, staying overnight on the airport hotel and then flying back to Doha via Qatar Airlines.”
Ignacio said he expected his plane ticket to the Swift concert to be very expensive.
As an alternative of flying directly from the Philippines to Singapore, he said: “I’ll fly [to] Malaysia first.”
From there, he plans a six-hour bus trip from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, which he estimated could save as much as $400.