Earlier this month, a record 302,000 people attended Singapore’s first Formula 1 car race in three years. Some forked out $900 for a grandstand seat for three days, while others booked hotel suites overlooking the Marina Bay track for as much as $10,000. Nightclub tables were fetching up to $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