17/04/2026

FRIDAY | APR 17, 2026

25

LYFE

Spinning money on and on

C ELINE Dion’s fans are not the only ones excited about the megastar’s new tour in Paris. Hotels, restaurants and shops are hoping for a multimillion-euro boost from concertgoers in the French capital. The 58-year-old Canadian singer announced last month that she was returning to the stage for 16 concerts in the French capital in September and October, after a lengthy break prompted by a rare health condition. She could prove the latest in a series of stars to bring with them significant economic uplift from music fans, following Taylor Swift’s record breaking Eras Tour and as the South Korean mega-group BTS embarks on its tour. The Eiffel Tower was lit up to honour the return of Dion – who sings in French and English – and with the city covered in billboards and posters, Parisian businesses are hoping the tour will prove a major money spinner. Dion’s tour could bring an additional €300–500 million (RM1.4–2.3 billion) into the city, said Alexandra Dublanche, president of Choose Paris Region, the organisation that promotes the wider Paris area. This includes ticket sales, hotel and restaurant bookings, retail spending and more, she told AFP, adding that international visitors tend to spend more than domestic travellers. When Swift held four concerts in Paris in 2024, the city saw an economic boost of around €150–180 million, Dublanche said. Dion has said she was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disorder, and was forced to cancel her last tour dates due to the Covid-19 pandemic and ill health. The latest tickets for Dion’s shows went on sale on Friday, with an estimated half a million fans to attend the concerts, a third from overseas, according to Dublanche. Others have put the figure higher. MKG Consulting estimated the potential economic impact at more than €1 billion, including a

o Celine Dion concerts could bring massive windfall to Paris

People walk past a billboard displaying a poster with the title of the song My Heart Will Go On by Dion on a street in Paris. occupancy rates” due to the unstable international situation, said Didier Arino, chief executive at the consulting firm Protourisme. Arthur Lemoine, CEO of the high-end Galeries Lafayette department stores, said they saw a boost in shoppers during Swift’s concerts, not only during the days when she was performing in Paris but also around the timing of gigs in the city of Lyon. “Dion’s presence in Paris for a month and a half should definitely benefit business on Boulevard Haussmann,” he said, referring to the high-end street that is home to Galeries Lafayette’s flagship store. After South Korea’s BTS announced two forthcoming concert dates in Paris, searches for hotels in the French capital soared by 590%, according to the Hotels.com website. “This phenomenon is part of a broader trend called ‘gig-tripping,’ where the concert becomes the starting point but not the sole reason for booking a trip,” said Heydorff.

The Eiffel Tower lights up to mark the announcement of concert dates and ticket sales for Dion’s upcoming 10 concerts in September and October. – PICS FROM REUTERS

economic activity in cities where she performed. “Major musical events are a driver of travel,” said Vanessa Heydorff, managing director for France at Booking.com. The hotel reservation site said that searches for Paris around the dates of Dion’s concerts increased by 49%. The Adagio chain, which has 10 hotels in the city’s La Defense district where the concerts will be held, saw a 400% increase in bookings. “This will be good for Paris because the capital is currently experiencing a drop in hotel

Teater Normcore: Odisi Romansa Date: May 8–10, 14–27 Time: 8.30 pm (May 8–10), 3pm (May 14–27) Venue: Black Box, Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC) Entry fee: RM60–RM75 Moka Mocha Ink returns to the stage with its latest science fiction production, written and directed by Ridhwan Saidi – blending literary narrative with digital technology and visual arts. The play unfolds in a future where humanity has vanished, leaving androids to inherit the debris of memory, love and time. Two androids Y-002 and Z-001 attempt to simulate the human experience and as they navigate longing, their physical separation grows vast – one descending toward the primordial gravity of the Bima Sakti’s core, while the other embarks on a pilgrimage from a dying Earth towards a new sanctuary. Henry Butcher Art Auction Date: April 26 Time: 1pm–4pm Venue: Level M, Menara Ken TTDI Entry fee: Free Presenting collectors with the opportunity to acquire outstanding works by renowned Malaysian artists, Henry Butcher will hold an auction featuring a selection of works by Malaysia’s modern masters Abdul Latiff Mohidin, Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal and Datuk Ibrahim Hussein. In the earlier January 2026 auction, works by Latiff and Ibrahim achieved strong prices, successfully establishing new auction records and paving the way for the upcoming April auction. A viewing of the artworks auctioned will be available from April 18 to 25, from 10am to 6pm daily. €180 million-euro boost for the Parisian hotel industry. MKG analyst Vanguelis Panayotis said the economic benefits could reach €1.2 billion if taking into account transportation, and all the associated expenses and logistics of Dion’s support team as well as fans. ‘Driver of travel’ Swift’s Eras tour became the highest-grossing musical tour in history, with ticket revenues estimated at more than US$2 billion and hundreds of millions of dollars in extra

EVENTS LISTING

Rain Rave Water Music Festival Date: April 30–May 2 Time: TBA Venue: Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur Entry fee: TBA In celebration of World Labour Day, the music festival welcomes visitors from across the region and beyond to be part of a shared, cross-cultural experience in Malaysia – integrating entertainment with

modern creativity – while appealing to domestic and international audiences. Visitors can expect immersive environments inspired by rain, a diverse line-up of international and regional DJs alongside Malaysian acts, as well as curated local market experiences featuring Malaysian food, culture and creative expressions. Kota Baca 2026 Date: April 23–26 Time: 7am–10pm Venue: Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur Entry fee: Free In conjunction with World Book and Copyright Day, a national literacy programme will be held as part of a national effort to strengthen reading culture among Malaysians – to institutionalise reading as a social norm, in line with the Malaysia Madani aspiration and the National Reading Decade (2021– 2030). Here, the Malaysia Reading Map dashboard will be introduced, presenting nationwide reading and book purchase data. The event will feature a wide range of literacy, community, industry and private sector engagement activities – including a special Friday sermon on the importance of reading across Federal Territories mosques, BukaBuku by Keretapi Sarong, the Pidato Negarawan and 5km Book Character Run.

Malaysian multicultural elements, local creative talent and curated lifestyle experiences. Co organised by Tourism Malaysia and The Fame as part of the broader Visit Malaysia 2026 tourism ecosystem, the festival uses the theme “Rave Rain” to reflect the strength of Malaysia’s creative industry ecosystem – reflecting traditional and