KUALA LUMPUR: Taylor Swift's concerts currently happening exclusively in Singapore proves to be an expensive lesson for the Malaysian government.
Industry experts have said that the series of six sold-out shows in the Lion City would have given the island nation a hefty economic boost in addition to positioning it on the world map as a must-visit destination in the region, according to an FMT report today.
"With Visit Malaysia Year coming up in 2026, we hope that the Malaysian government will not be left behind and will give its full support and encouragement to efforts to bring in prominent international acts.
"The Malaysian government should not only encourage international acts to come and perform here, but also provide the necessary funding and incentives which will in turn generate huge numbers in terms of tourist arrivals from the region and beyond," said Karyawan president Freddie Fernandez.
Livescape Group CEO Iqbal Ameer added that letting Swift fly away was a lost opportunity for Malaysia.
He pointed to Livescape's track record of delivering "tourism-back" shows in the country, with returns of up to 20 times more than pre-pandemic numbers.
"It is evident that the Malaysian government recognises the economic potential of such live events," he said.
Iqbal called for the formation of an investment council comprising the transport and finance ministries, GLCs, and industry players that could identify and evaluate opportunities quickly and facilitate their implementation.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Tourist Guides Council president Jimmy Leong lamented that Malaysia had too much red tape.
"We have unclear and inconsistent policies that change from time to time," he said, calling for a complete revamp of the policies and procedures, with the first step being clear guidelines and standard operating procedures.
In an earlier report, it was claimed that Malaysia had the uber popular American artiste in its grasp in 2022, but lost her to Singapore a year later.
It was alleged that Swift was on the Malaysian government's radar after it signed a contract with a US venue management company in 2022 to make the KL Sports City in Bukit Jalil a magnet for sports and live entertainment.
However, the deal was not capitalised on when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim became prime minister after the 15th general election, and the American company was reduced to a consultant's role for the optimisation of the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Yesterday, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the incentive provided to Swift to make Singapore the only Southeast Asian stop on her world tour was not a hostile act towards its neighbours.
Without divulging the terms of the deal, Singapore had previously said that it had given Swift a grant to play in the country.
The revelation of the matter drew ire from neighbouring countries after the Thai prime minister revealed that the offer was made on the condition that Singapore would be Swift's only stop in Southeast Asia.
