I think I remember that story...I think it was about $10,000 to $15,000 per trip. That was back in the early 2000s...
They went because they found the women in Singapore wanting the 5 C's (cash, condo, credit card, car and country club membership) even if they couldn't afford it. As most of the women introduced in these meetings could also speak mandarin (or another chinese dialect), they were desirable.
That was back then...