Taylor Swift's cancelled Vienna concert costs siblings from Dubai Dh20,000

Jin and Jay Wong say they will struggle to recoup the money after terror threat thwarts three shows

Taylor Swift is in the middle of her Eras Tour, which became the industry's first to surpass the $1 billion revenue mark. AFP

A brother and sister face being left Dh20,000 out of pocket after their "once in a lifetime" chance to see Taylor Swift was cancelled due to an alleged terror plot.

Jin and Jay Wong, who are originally from Canada but live in Dubai, were due to see the Shake it Off singer at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium on Friday. However, on Wednesday, two people were arrested over alleged plans to attack the city, with one suspected target said to be the concert venue. As a result, all three planned shows there were cancelled.

The 152,000 tickets for the shows sold out almost immediately, meaning the siblings turned to third-party sellers instead of the official agency. As a result, the chances of a refund are slim, with the event organiser stating only tickets bought from an official provider are eligible for a refund.

"We wanted to figure out if there was some way to see the concert in Europe, but with what's happening we just felt it was safer for us to head back to the UAE," said Jay, who is now back in Dubai.

"It was quite a frustrating process because there was a lot of waiting and wondering whether or not we could purchase the tickets because they were not directly from the original seller and there have been a lot of cases of people getting scammed online. So we had to really check what's going on in terms of price."

While the tickets were bought at a "super inflated" price, Jin said they offered the view they wanted. "They are considered good seats ... I feel like it's once in a lifetime kind of event and my sister is a big fan."

According to an Instagram post by event organisers Barracuda Music, only tickets brought from the official provider oeticket.com will be refunded.

With Swift’s blockbuster Eras Tour ending in December, Jin hopes the UAE becomes a stop on the next trek. Since commencing in March last year, the Eras Tour has become the highest-grossing tour in history and the first to surpass $1 billion in revenue.

“There are so many people who are big fans of hers in the UAE. While travelling this summer around Europe, I saw so many people from Dubai or from the GCC in Europe as well who came to see her perform,” he says. “I think she will do really well bringing the party here.”