Resorts World at Sentosa, a Resort of resorts, will welcome some 10 million tourists by 2015, generating S$15 billion in tourism receipts, half of Singapore’s target. It will increase spending on sightseeing and entertainment per tourist from two per cent currently to more than 10 per cent.
As part of its Tourism 2015 targets, the Singapore government hopes to draw in 10 million visitors in 2015 and generate an estimated S$15 billion in tourist receipts. Economists predict the Singapore economy could grow between 6.5 to 7.5 percent when the resorts are operational from 2009. The construction sector is also expected to benefit by growing 10 to 15 percent on year from now to 2009". We may not get the 25 million visitors that Hong Kong gets, but if the 10 or 15 million visitors we get spend more per head, that would have much more significant impact on the services sector, hospitality-related sector than any of the single-event before that. To me, the award of IR probably marked the potential of reshaping the tourism sector in Singapore in the years to come," says Mr. Song.
Malaysia’s Genting International has been named the winner of Singapore’s second casino licence for a gaming and entertainment complex on Sentosa island. Genting and its sister company Star Cruises have tied up with Universal Parks and Resorts of the United States for the project, promising to invest more than S$5 billion (about RM11 billion). Genting International which is the overseas investment arm of the Genting Group, is a leading integrated resorts specialist with over 20 years of international gaming expertise and global experience in developing, operating and/or marketing internationally acclaimed casinos and integrated resorts in different parts of the world, including Australia, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. Genting International is listed on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange.
Star Cruises which is the third largest cruise line in the world, is a global cruise brand with a combined fleet of 22 ships in service and under construction, and more than 35,000 lower berths cruising to destinations and islands in Asia-Pacific, North and South America, Hawaii, Caribbean, Alaska, Europe, Mediterranean, Bermuda and the Antarctica under the Star Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America, Orient Lines and Cruise Ferries brands. Star Cruises is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and quoted on CLOB International in Singapore.
Currently, design and development work for the Resort’s buildings and attractions are in the advance
stages. The first tender for the Resort’s three superstructure building contracts was called on 3 September. The other two tenders will be called in the following four weeks. RWS will award the first of these three tenders, which together are worth more than S$1 billion, in January 2008. Construction on the Resort’s first two hotels, Maxims Residences and Hotel Michael, will commence in February 2008.
Resorts World at Sentosa will include six hotels, one specially designed by American architect Michael Graves, with more than 1,800 rooms. It is expected to contribute S$2.7 billion to Singapore's economy, or 0.8 percent of the city-state's gross domestic product, as well as add 30,000 jobs by end of 2015.
Resorts World at Sentosa will also include a Universal Studios theme park with 22 attractions, 16 designed specifically for Singapore, and a DreamWorks animation studio. The Universal Studios theme park will take up roughly half of the site. The resort will have meeting facilities, retail stores and a 1,600-seat theater for a resident show by the team behind Cirque du Soleil.
Singapore last year reversed its decades-old ban on casino gambling in an ambitious attempt to double visitor arrivals to 17 million by 2015. The first contract was awarded in May to Las Vegas Sands Corp., which plans to open its US$3.6 billion casino resort by July 2009.
For the second casino, the government evaluated the proposals based on tourism appeal whiic is a hefty 45 percent of the criteria, architectural design, level of investment and strength of the bidding consortium and partners. There will be four world-class gated attractions at Resorts World at Sentosa offering the best of dry and wet for both young and old. Each attraction will be developed by a global brand name and all will be ‘must-visit’ venues.
Resorts World at Sentosa will be home to Quest Marine Life Park, the world’s largest oceanarium. This is a one-of-a-kind marine park, with an emphasis on family fun, providing visitors of all ages with interactive multi-sensory experiences as they learn about and discover the life of marine creatures and the need for ocean conservation. The eight-hectare Quest Marine Life Park will be home to as many as 700,000 aquatic animals, including bat rays, dolphins and the world’s largest collection of coral reef and open ocean fish. The marine park will also house a 6.6 million gallon lagoon that allows visitors the chance to snorkel and dive with whale sharks, the largest fish in the world that can grow up to more than 14 metres in length.
Six hotels at Resorts World at Sentosa will provide unparalleled choice for visitors with a dazzling array of world-class accommodation totaling more than 1,800 rooms. Each hotel is designed to cater to a specific market niche, making the resort suitable for all leisure and business visitors.
The Maritime Xperiential Museum, dedicated to the celebration of the maritime heritage of Asia, will engage visitors’ five senses to retell the fascinating history of the Asian maritime Silk Route. In addition, the museum will feature Asia’s first marine genomics research and learning centre, which will be set up by Dr J. Craig Venter, a pioneer and leading expert in the field of genomics. The resort will offer a fantastic choice of accommodation with six world-class hotels providing 1,830 rooms. It will also house an integrated wellness spa, to be operated by luxury spa operator ESPA.
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