The Lens: Taylor Swift brought tourism dollars to Singapore, but she is not a long-term economic plan

Jason Lui Kwan Lung, King’s College

Singapore spent a lot of money to have Taylor Swift perform, hoping to boost the economy and attract tourists. While the city state hit the jackpot with her concerts, there are much better ways to rejuvenate the economy in the long run than paying megastars to hold events.

As soon as the Eras Tour was announced, those who were swift enough to secure tickets flocked to airline and hotel websites.

Each concert was held in an enormous stadium that could accommodate thousands of fans. Hotels and flights were fully booked by Swifties, which caused prices to soar.

Despite the cost, fans’ fixation with Swift did not deter them from travelling hundreds, or even thousands, of miles to see her. Many fans spent far more on rooms and flights than on the actual concert tickets, making it a very expensive experience.

Swifties’ ultimate goal is to enjoy the show, not to incur high travel costs amid a weakening global economy. They were likely able to shake off some expenses by spending a minimal amount on food and merchandise. While the concerts provided a temporary influx of cash for Singapore, they ultimately won’t make a lasting difference.

It seemed like a win for both Singapore and Swift, but the city state made a lucky bet. Many people are unwilling, or unable, to travel to all parts of the world for a concert. Celebrities always triumph in these scenarios but do not have a far-reaching impact, whereas local musicians are more sustainable and forever rooted in their country.

For any nation, promoting local musicians opens a gateway for outsiders to learn about their culture and encourage them to return. Furthermore, for locals, having their own stars to root for prevails over stargazing the unreachable.

Read up on the issue in last week’s The Lens!

A lawmaker in the Philippines introduced a new bill to improve the standards of English skills across the country.

Representative Jose Francisco Benitez’s proposal calls for a fine against film and TV content providers for dubbing English programmes, but they are still required to include Filipino subtitles.

Many Philippine students fare poorly in English reading comprehension and speaking skills. According to the 2022 International Student Assessment (PISA) of 81 countries, the Philippines was ranked the sixth lowest in reading comprehension. This area has not significantly improved since it was first assessed in 2018.

According to the bill, “We must enhance learning delivery to enable the [skilled] acquisition of English as a second language. Mass media can enable children to develop English proficiency.”

Salve Calderon, who teaches English in the city of Balanga, provided her input: “[The dubbing ban] may not directly address the main causes behind falling English language skills.”

Other educators pointed to a lack of resources as well as training for teachers. They say the proposed dubbing ban should be supported by school programmes to help students understand what they are watching.

English is the official language of instruction after Grade 4 and is used in all education materials, which means a lack of English proficiency can affect a student’s performance in every subject, as well as their future careers.

In addition, Calderon added that having strong English language skills is important for the Philippine economy.

Staff writers

• Do you think this law will help students learn English? If not, what are some more effective solutions?

• With English becoming the ‘global language’, should everyone try to learn English? Is it also important to preserve languages which are not widely spoken?