POP-MUSIC CONCERTS : A GEOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF A TOURIST EVENT ATTRACTION

Abstract

The tourism trade is the lifeblood of the Singapore economy. Over the past decades, it has contributed significantly- in terms of revenue, business opportunities, and world attention - to the Republic. In the recent years, the type of tourist attractions have diversified to include, not just recreational tourist sites but, events like The Great Singapore Sale, Chingay Festival, and various business/trade conventions. This reflects not just the increasing demands of tourists, but more importantly the Republic's bid to develop comparative advantage over the other competing countries in tourism. Pop-concerts have come a long way in Singapore. Over the past 30 years, they have developed from street performances on makeshift stages to today's large-scale concerts that are nothing short of spectacular, employing state-of-the-arttechnology, lighting pyrotechnics, and special effects; and from a mere form of entertainment for the locals to amega-million¬ dollar tourist attraction. Viewing the historical evolution of pop-concerts within the framework of the Product-Life-Cycle reveals a non-S-shaped life cycle and that cultural processes are largely responsible for these developments. Taken as a tourist product, pop-concerts spawn a wide range of impacts - physical/ environmental, social/cultural, economic, psychological, and tourism. These impacts, very often, manifest as the indicators of the turning points in the product-life-cycle of pop¬ concerts. The magnitude of effect they exert also corresponds with the stage they are set within.