Platforms such as Klook, a travel and leisure e-commerce platform headquartered in Hong Kong, have clocked the recovery in online searches and bookings.

“With travel recovery rates coming in at 75 per cent across Asia-Pacific, the tourism rebound in Singapore looks to be very promising,” said Sarah Wan, general manager for Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore at Klook.

“In the first half of 2023 alone, we’ve seen bookings grow 50 per cent compared to the same period in 2022, indicating not just a robust, but growing travel demand,” she added.

Live music, a major driver

With blockbuster visits from Coldplay and Taylor Swift already in the calendar for 2024, concerts are expected to continue driving tourism from across the region.

Collaboration between the government and the Singapore Sports Hub – the district which is home to the national stadium hosting both events – can be thanked for bagging these regional booking coups.

“This proactive and dynamic approach has enabled us to optimise our venues to deliver top-tier events and maximise our event programming … and to support tourism for Singapore,” said a spokesperson at Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM), which manages the 55,000-capacity venue.

In early 2024, the Lion City will host six concerts on Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour – two more than originally planned due to exceptional demand, after the British band broke Singapore’s record for most tickets sold by an artist in a single day, with sales surpassing 200,000.

According to digital travel platform Agoda the number of searches for hotels in Singapore over the concert dates increased by 8.7 times.

“Music inspires a great deal of passion, and dedicated fans are truly remarkable as they will travel far and wide to see their favourite acts live,” said Enric Casals, the platform’s regional associate vice-president for Southeast Asia. “This spike in accommodation bookings is a testament to the undeniable lure of live musical experiences, showcasing the profound impact they have on travel decisions.”

According to Pearson, Swift’s and Coldplay’s concerts have turbocharged interest in the city from all over the region. “Google searches for accommodation hit peaks every time new concerts were announced and tickets were released,” she said.

If Coldplay set a new standard with six concerts in a row in Singapore, Taylor Swift was not to be outdone. When the first three nights of The Eras Tour sold out rapidly, new dates were added to the calendar, also making a total of six concerts in early March 2024.

“With such mega events making a comeback in Singapore, we’re confident that tourism will continue on this positive trajectory,” said Wan from Klook, partner of The Eras Tour.

According to Klook’s data, when tourists attend a concert or major event, their in-destination spending can range from four to five times the face value of the original ticket.

“Leveraging Taylor Swift’s massive fan base to attract fans from across the region, this creates a significant influx of tourists to Singapore and benefits local tourism businesses such as hotels and restaurants, stimulating the local economy,” added Wan. “Beyond music tourism, there is an entirely new growth segment with mega events tourism that brings immense economic benefits,” she added.

Corporate events also count

It is not just sports events and music concerts that are shaping the rebound of visitors. Corporate events are also becoming a key driver of growth, with Singapore’s location and infrastructure ideal for all kinds of industry gatherings.

“Singapore has a strong track record of inclusivity and diversity, vibrancy and multicultural attractions, safety and security, ease of connectivity through air routes, central location in the Indo-Pacific area, excellent infrastructure for big events, ease of entry for international travellers, and an exciting dining and entertainment scene,” said Roy Chan, president of the 25th World Congress of Dermatology, which took place in brought over 12,000 people from 130 countries to Singapore in July.

“Apart from the robust infrastructure and well-connected air routes, Singapore also has unique and large venues that can host a congress of this scale,” added Chan. “It is also strategically located at the centre of the Asean and Indo-Pacific regions, with English as the lingua franca.”

According to Chan, the event was the largest medical convention to be held in the Lion City and was estimated to yield SG$28 million (HK$165 million) in tourism receipts.

“This has exceeded our expectations, especially because of the challenging economic situation in all countries and geopolitical tension in the last two years,” he said.

So why is Singapore cashing in when so many regional neighbours, including Hong Kong, were snubbed by Swift, Coldplay and co.?

“Certainly, many countries in the region – such as Malaysia and Indonesia – are doing some soul searching as to why they were overlooked,” added Pearson, “but with the right marketing in place, they could ultimately benefit from a spillover of tourists from Singapore.”