In the brouhaha surrounding Taylor Swift's exclusive concert deal with Singapore, the Thai government -- instead of trying to emulate our nice neighbour's shrewd stratagem in paying artists not to play in neighbouring nations -- should focus on the fundamental problem that Thailand, despite being a preferred tourist destination, is not a priority choice for acclaimed concerts.
The Eras Tour -- Swift's global tour -- became a regional political issue after Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last week admitted it had paid her up to US$3 million (106 million baht) per concert in an exclusive deal to hold The Eras Tour in Singapore and not elsewhere in the region.
That came after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin hinted about a secret deal which Singapore gave to Swift and later said that Thailand should emulate the model.
While Singapore's marbled-hearted stratagem may raise eyebrows, it serves as a wake-up call for Thailand to ponder why it is not a preferred international artists' destination.
It must be said that Singapore holds competitive advantages over Thailand and other regional countries.
First and foremost, Singapore boasts world-class infrastructure and connectivity, including state-of-the-art concert venues. Singapore also enjoys excellent transport connectivity, with efficient public transport, modern airports and a wide range of accommodation options in the vicinity of concert venues.
That is not the case for Bangkok. Despite being known for featuring a hedonistic lifestyle, transport systems from the airport to inner cities and to concert venues are not well connected. A glaring example of this is the Rajamangala National Stadium, which lacks a common ticketing system, not to mention parking spaces or a feeder system to the venue.
Thailand also lacks a special agency for this purpose. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) under the Tourism and Sports Ministry focuses on promoting tourism destinations and recreational pursuits. It views tourism as more of a recreational pursuit.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) under the Ministry of Trade and Industry has a mandate to make the country a destination for world-class performances and make tourism part of the investment.
Knowing full well it lacks natural and distinguished cultural heritage resources, Singapore creates its own tourism magnet, becoming a venue for world-class performances. After Swift's The Era Tours, the highly famous Broadway show Hamilton will be performed in Singapore.
Notably, government grants for the STB are also a crucial factor in persuading artists to perform. In 2023, the STB received grants totalling about SG$297 million (about 7.8 billion baht) to promote tourism. Meanwhile, in Thailand's 2024 fiscal budget, the TAT received only about 3.2 billion baht from to carry out its tasks.
Political stability is also a crucial factor that puts Thailand behind Singapore. Lest we forget, Taylor Swift had a concert scheduled for Thailand on June 9, 2014, and tickets sold out quickly. However, on May 22, 2014, in a coup led by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, who was then the army chief, the military seized power from the Yingluck Shinawatra government. This led Swift to cancel the concert in Thailand and add a show in Singapore.
Instead of using money to solve problems, Thailand must fix structural problems, since it needs political stability, transport connectivity and artists' financial support -- not only famous ones but also local and regional ones -- if it hopes to catch up with Singapore.