In the Plans: A Huge Events Venue Near Clark Airport
The idea was sparked by Taylor Swift's sold out concerts in Singapore.
(SPOT.ph) Is it time for the Philippines to develop larger-scale concert venues? The Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) seems to think so as it has unveiled an ambitious plan to build a 37-hectare entertainment and events center to attract major live shows, sports tournaments, and conventions.
CIAC Vice President for Administration and Finance Nancy Paglinawan outlined the P21-billion project at the EJAP-BCDA One Clark Forum on May 10 as reported by Inquirer.
Paglinawan said it will feature a convention center, an indoor sports arena, a mall at Clark Airport, and a multi-modal terminal inside the Clark Airport Complex in Pampanga. The goal is to create a massive venue capable of hosting a wide range of events, enhancing the region’s appeal to international artists and event organizers.
Why now? Paglinawan said Taylor Swift’s recent concert in Singapore inspired the CIAC to push for the construction of entertainment facilities within the Clark Airport Complex. This hopes to prevent the country from missing out on high-profile events like The Eras Tour, which is considered the highest-grossing tour of all time.
The project is part of a broader development strategy for the CIAC property, which spans 1,441 hectares within the 2,367-hectare Clark Civil Aviation Complex. Additional plans include an P8.5-billion food hub and a P1.8-billion urban renewal and heritage conservation program.
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Taylor Swift is the reason behind CAIC's push for an events venue near Clark Airport
It can be recalled that Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour skipped the Philippines after the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) “supported the event through a grant,” which Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin claimed entails an exclusivity deal that prevented her from having another stop in Southeast Asia.
More than 300,000 tickets were sold for The Eras Tour in Singapore, with a "significant" number of concert-watchers flying in from other countries. All six shows were sold out.
"If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand," Thavisin said in his keynote speech at the iBusiness Forum 2024. "Concerts can generate added value for the economy."
Next to the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, the only large-scale entertainment and events venue in Central Luzon is the New Clark City Stadium, an open-air venue with a capacity of 20,000. The stadium hosted its first concert last February 3, which is the Philippine leg of the K-Pop boy group Enhypen's Fate Tour. Despite its name, the New Clark City is actually located in Capas, Tarlac, which is some 30 minutes away from the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.
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