What Taylor Swift tells us about Singapore vs Hong Kong | 泰勒·斯威夫特告诉我们关于新加坡与香港的事 - FT中文网
登录×
电子邮件/用户名
密码
记住我
请输入邮箱和密码进行绑定操作:
请输入手机号码,通过短信验证(目前仅支持中国大陆地区的手机号):
请您阅读我们的用户注册协议隐私权保护政策,点击下方按钮即视为您接受。
FT英语电台

What Taylor Swift tells us about Singapore vs Hong Kong
泰勒·斯威夫特告诉我们关于新加坡与香港的事

The rivalry between the two cities has been sharpened by the US singer’s international tour plans
这位美国歌手的国际巡演计划加剧了两个城市之间的竞争。
00:00

Two topics prompt impassioned discussion over inflation at expat dinner parties in Singapore at the moment: how much your rent has increased and Taylor Swift.

The first is met with a round of commiseration or begrudging congratulations, depending on whether you are closer to 100 per cent (most people) or a mere 20 per cent (a lucky few). The second sets off fierce debate on a favourite subject: the merits of Singapore versus Hong Kong.

Swift, like Harry Styles and Coldplay, is performing in Singapore but skipping Hong Kong for next year’s international tour. The American pop star — who performed in the Chinese special administrative region on a 2011 tour — is holding six concerts in Singapore, a city-state of over 5mn people. This is more than for Sydney, Tokyo or Mexico City.

The reasons for Hong Kong’s snub are unclear. Social media is blaming everything from the national security law to the lack of suitable venues. Whatever the reason, these musical choices and rising rents are both indicative of the diverging fortunes of the two cities — at least in the short term.

Hong Kong and Singapore have for years competed for leading financial hub status. But strict pandemic lockdowns, draconian national security legalisation and worsening US-China relations have dulled Hong Kong’s appeal, while Singapore’s low taxes, stable rule of law, and neutrality has made it more enticing for businesses and tourists. Singapore’s total employment numbers now outstrip those in Hong Kong, despite the latter’s larger population.

But Singapore is dealing with the flip side of that boon: spiralling costs and a limited ability to manage them. “If two Beyoncé concerts apparently caused high inflation in Sweden, what will six Taylor Swift concerts do to Singapore?” grumbled one investment banker based in the city-state to me this week. He has two daughters desperate for VIP tickets.

Even before tickets went on sale, prices for hotels and flights to Singapore were already soaring for March 2 to March 9 2024, when Swift is due to perform. Some three- and four-star hotels are 20 per cent more expensive compared with the week before, while flights from other cities in south-east Asia to Singapore are almost triple the normal price range.

Facing demands for ad hoc school holidays while Swift is in town, Singapore’s education minister, Chan Chun Sing, said on Facebook that granting time off “may further fuel inflation”.

While Hong Kong outpaced Singapore on inflation for most of the 1980s and 1990s, the roles have been reversed. Over the past two years, Singapore’s inflation has been consistently higher than that of its rival. An influx of new residents coupled with delays on new building during the pandemic have pushed rents to record levels. Singapore usurped New York as the city with the highest rental growth at the end of last year, according to Knight Frank, a real estate group.

Tiny Singapore can’t compete with other parts of south-east Asia for natural tourist attractions such as beaches or mountains, so it relies heavily on its appeal as a gastronomic hub. But even its lively restaurant scene is grappling with high commercial property rents that are defying a slowdown in other capitals. The manager of my favourite local Italian restaurant is moving to a different, more distant neighbourhood after the landlord doubled his rent.

Whatever the downsides for residents, the healthy rivalry with Hong Kong is a good thing. Competition keeps both cities innovating, launching new financial products and tax incentives to lure business and capital. Hong Kong, determined to recover some of what it has lost, is already attempting to coax back companies, professionals and family offices.

Some friends who moved over from Hong Kong during the pandemic are moving back, though Taylor Swift may make them regret that decision. One, a lawyer with two kids, said she made the decision after her rent was raised by 120 per cent. But she left last week with one request: “I might need a place to stay if I get Taylor Swift tickets. The hotels are too expensive.”

版权声明:本文版权归FT中文网所有,未经允许任何单位或个人不得转载,复制或以任何其他方式使用本文全部或部分,侵权必究。

特朗普考虑向乌克兰提供的“战斧”导弹能改变战场局势吗?

美国向乌克兰提供“战斧”导弹,将增强基辅对俄境内目标的远程打击能力,并有可能改变战争进程。
19分钟前

英数据中心初创企业Nscale与微软达成140亿美元合作协议

这家获英伟达投资的AI云计算集团拿下巨额新合同,其首席执行官称正考虑在“明年下半年”上市。

OpenAI制定五年商业计划以兑现万亿美元支出承诺

OpenAI正在拓展新的营收渠道、建立债务合作关系并进一步融资,以覆盖巨额支出。

FT社评:欧洲需要更完善的芯片战略

荷兰接管安世半导体一事,暴露出欧盟如何深深陷入了美中芯片大战。

英国《金融时报》2025年EMBA排名显示毕业生收入上升

华盛顿大学-复旦项目位居榜首,而其他商科学位校友薪资下滑或持平。

你非得嚼那么响吗?饱受厌声症折磨的种种困境

鲜为人知的医疗疾病背后,正在浮现的奇异科学。
设置字号×
最小
较小
默认
较大
最大
分享×