Lion City to become Asia’s tourism hub

Old Asia Hands, and newcomers alike, will tell you with equal insistence that if you only have the chance to visit one single Asian city, that city must be Singapore! For Americans in particular, this shimmering modern tropical city truly is “Instant Asia!” It offers all the romance and glamour of the exotic East — the wonderful foods, the vivid street festivals, the lavish white-marbled hotels, the unbeatable brand- name shopping and the amazing people — a unique mélange of Chinese, Indian and Malay. But what makes Singapore special, is that all this can be found in a wonderfully compact, easy to explore, marvelously safe and fun destination.

And now, the Lion City has made a concentrated high-octane effort to really ratchet things up on the Lion City excitement meter, with the ultimate goal to make Singapore the regional hub for tourism and recreation.

“For the long haul market,” says the Singapore Tourism Board’s deputy chairman Lim Neo Chian, “we really want people to know that Singapore has greatly changed in the last few years. Singapore is no longer just a city that is popular with business travelers; it is no longer the staid workaholic place it once was! Our nightlife has really taken off, even on weeknights, and our famous Hawker Fresh Food centers have been listed in the book “A Thousand Places You Must See Before You Die”! And the reason for this is that the food is great, but unlike in some other cities in Asia, here it is also spotlessly clean so its both fun and safe. Also, you can go to clubs, and pubs, and restaurants and discos and then stroll the streets at night without any worry.”

Last year, Singapore’s visitor’s industry welcomed a record 10.3 million visitors, roughly three times the city’s own population; but there will be no resting on their laurels. The goal for 2008 is to bring in close to $11 billion in tourism receipts.

Within seven years’ time, Singapore hopes to attract 17 million visitors annually. And to achieve that ambitious goal, the Tourism Board has a whole slate of new attractions coming on line.

The first of these new attractions is The Singapore Flyer, which officially opens next month. Built at a cost of nearly $160 million, and equal in height of a 42-story building, the Flyer will be the tallest observation wheel on Earth. Its 28 air-conditioned space age capsules will give sweeping, panoramic views of Singapore’s famous skyline, as well as the nearby islands of Indonesia, and ships far out at sea.

Then in September, Singapore will host the world’s first-ever Formula One Grand Prix at night. The 61-lap race will take place on a specially selected street circuit around the city’s elegant Marina Bay district, passing beneath both the city’s modern skyscrapers and the historic Raffles Hotel. And it will be aired live on TV, both the US and Europe, bringing the action to more than 500 million motor race fans. The city will then host the race for five years thereafter, with an option to extend the arrangement until 2017.

Next up on the hit parade of new attractions is the opening, next year, of the $3.3 billion Marina Bay Sands. Operated by the famous Las Vegas Sands Corporation, this strikingly modern integrated resort will include a hotel (with 2,500 rooms) and casino, as well as full facilities for world-class meetings, conventions and exhibitions.

And within a year of the Marina Bay Sands complex’s opening, the sprawling $3.4 billion theme park and resort known as Resorts World at Sentosa, will open for business in 2010.

For decades, Sentosa Island has a been a lovely but largely rural parkland, akin to Washington’s Rock Creek Park. But now this charming tropical island is being transformed into the biggest theme park in Asia, and one of the largest in the world, covering some 1,300 acres.

There will be at last six major hotels, as well as a casino and the largest Universal Studios outside the US. Steven Spielberg will also open the first Dreamword digital animation studios outside the US. There’ll also be a spa, a golf course, a cable car and the largest oceanarium in Asia (with 700,000 fish and marine animals, including a whale shark!). There will also be full docking facilities for regional cruise liners to tie up to, as more and more cruise companies are now making Singapore their regional home port.

There are many more new things to see and do in Singapore. Every first-time visitor should also save time to sample the city’s long established attractions, including the famous restaurant and nightlife district known as Clarke Quay (itself having undergone a $50 million renovation). Then there is the charm of Little India, which truly is a slice of the Sub-Continent, and also Kampong Glam, an enchanting Malay enclave with lovely cafes and intriguing arts & crafts shops.

So, whatever your pleasure — exotic dining, fabulous shopping, elegant hotels, playing with Lady Luck, world-class cruising, nightclub hopping, or simply making new friends and exploring different cultures — the shimmering Lion City will wow you with all this and much more.