Earlier this month, a record 302,000 people attended Singapore’s first Formula 1 car race in three years. Some forked out US$900 ($1,294.01) for a grandstand seat for three days, while others booked hotel suites overlooking the Marina Bay track for as much as US$10,000. Nightclub tables were fetching up to US$70,000 per evening.
It was a triumphant moment for the Southeast Asian city-state as it reopened after the pandemic, an indication of its popularity at a time when darker economic moods prevail in many parts of the world, not least in its financial hub rival Hong Kong. Money and people are gushing into Singapore, pushing rents and property prices to unprecedented highs, and sending the cost of a modest Toyota to more than US$111,000.
