Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economies, Sandiaga Uno, has promised international visitors a stellar line-up of international artists in the months ahead, with several major names coming to Bali and stadiums nationwide. Growing interest in music tourism has encouraged officials to invest in concerts and festivals, facilitated by the Indonesian Tourism Fund.
“This year, the government will disburse 2 trillion Rupiah through special tourism funds or the Indonesia Tourism Fund (ITF),” said Uno in a statement during a recent tour of Australia. “These funds will be used to organise local and international events, with the hope of increasing the number of tourists so that they can have a wider job creation impact again.”
One of the acts at the very top of Uno’s wish list is Taylor Swift, whose broad appeal and legion of dedicated fans around the world has proven lucrative for tourism operators whenever her tour comes to town. In a recent interview with Bloomberg Television, Uno highlighted the success of Taylor Swift’s concerts in neighbouring Singapore and Australia, drawing special attention to the associated impact on these countries’ tourism revenue, in a phenomenon that’s been dubbed “Swiftnomics.”
“We need what Singapore and Australian governments have been able to do, which is bring in Taylor Swift. We need Swiftnomics in Indonesia,” said the minister. The singer’s star power has made an impression on the minister, and it’s clear to see why. In July 2023, a pair of Taylor Swift shows in Denver, Colorado contributed an estimated $140 million (Rp 2.18 trillion) to local GDP. For DMCs, event organisers and promoters in Southeast Asia, this could be a small slice of a much larger pie.
Concert tourism is big business at the moment. A recent study revealed that a single music traveller spends on average US$1,327 per gig, including tickets, travel, merchandise, accommodation and food. Uno believes Indonesia is perfectly placed to tap into this well of tourism revenue; in addition to Taylor Swift, he has outlined plans to attract a range of other big-name performers with the Rp 2 trillion tourism fund set up by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.
Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras’ tour, comprising 151 shows across five continents, will come to Singapore’s National Stadium from 2-9 March 2024. It has been reported that the Singaporean government offered her a multi-million dollar contract which stipulates she can’t play in any other neighbouring ASEAN countries. The news will come as a blow to Sandiaga Uno. But with plenty more artists expected in the months ahead, he should be able to shake it off.
