SOUTH-EAST Asia’s first big-name theme park – Universal Studios Singapore – at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) looks set to open its doors next week, just a week after the resort welcomes visitors to its hotels and shops today.

Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman of Genting Group, which owns the $6.59 billion resort, said yesterday: ‘By the end of next week, Universal Studios Singapore will open, and when we officially launch Resorts World Sentosa later this year, it will be another significant and historical milestone achievement for the group.’

He was speaking at the Kuala Lumpur launch of the group’s logo to mark its 45th anniversary.

RWS had previously not been able to confirm the opening date of the theme park, saying only that it would be open by the first quarter. But sources pointed to an opening date of Jan 28 or 29.

When asked about its main attraction yesterday, a RWS spokesman would only say that it was working closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs to get the relevant permits.

The theme park boasts 24 rides and attractions, 20 of which are expected to be ready when it opens, according to a prior announcement. Each ride requires a permit to operate, and a RWS spokesman said they will not be opened to the public until proven to be safe.

The resort is also awaiting a licence to operate its casino.

The casino and theme park are expected to be the sprawling 49ha complex’s main money-spinners, but it boasts other attractions too, including the world’s largest oceanarium, plus dozens of shops and restaurants.

As part of its concept plan, a significant portion of the resort has to also cater to non-gaming areas, with the government setting a maximum approved gaming area of no more than 5 per cent of the resort’s total development area.

The theme park is expected to attract up to 30,000 visitors daily.

A one-day weekday pass will cost $66 for adults, $48 for children and $32 for senior citizens. Weekend, public holiday and eve of public holiday one-day passes will cost $72, $52 and $36 respectively.

But the passes are still cheaper than those of Universal’s other attractions in Orlando and Osaka, which go for US$79 (S$109) and 5,800 yen (S$90) respectively.

Source: Straits Times, 20 Jan 2010

Visitors to Resorts World Sentosa will be able to shop there when the first of its retail belt opens in time, for its soft launch on Wednesday.

The shopping strip makes up about 20 per cent of the entire retail space at the integrated resort.

As for its casino and the Universal Studio theme park, the company is hoping to open both in time for the Lunar New Year.

Last minute touches are being made to greet guests when Singapore’s first integrated resort opens. With just four of its six hotels and 10 restaurants opened, there is already strong interest from both locals and tourists.

Andrew Hickey, vice president (Rooms), Resorts World Sentosa said: “We had over 5,000 room nights booked in the first days of our reservations centre opening. (There is a) strong local demand from the overseas travel trade.

“Chinese New Year is already booked out. Indicators are very very strong. Weekends are filling up obviously”.

Resorts World has said it is targeting 12 to 13 million visitors each year, boosting Singapore’s visitor arrival numbers.

The Singapore Tourism Board has said that it hopes the two Integrated Resorts, including the one at Marina Bay Sands, will help double visitorship figures to 17 million by 2015.

Also making its grand opening on Wednesday is the Galleria – where retail staff have been put through the paces. This retail belt links the Festive Hotel, the casino entrance and Hotel Michael.

Noel Hawkes, vice president, Resort Operations, Resorts World Sentosa said: “We also have a Swarovski, we have a beauty hall and we have a Swiss shop gallery. We have some very nice new to market brands like Canali, which will open its first retail shop in Singapore as well as a very famous brand from Canada called Damiani, which is a very high-end jewellery shop.”

“Apart from these high-end jewellery (shops), we also have our very famous Chihuly gallery. This is going to be very exciting. We have about S$6 million worth of his very beautiful art works and his chandeliers in the casino as well as the Crockfords Tower, and now guests will be able to go and buy smaller pieces which are absolutely fabulous or some of his wonderful paintings.

“We have also got a Michael Graves gallery – first in the world in fact – and Michael Graves is the one who designed this entire project. He will have his own gallery selling stuff that he designed himself like the whistling teapot.”

The completed retail stretch at Resorts World Sentosa is about 300 metres long, with over 20 high-end brands including the highly anticipated Victoria’s Secret boutique.

Mr Hawkes said: “A lot of the retail here is geared towards our casino customers, (and) impulse buying.

“So that is why we have targeted some of the products. There are very high-end retail, expensive watches, diamonds, jewellery.”

About 70 per cent of the resort’s entire retail space is expected to be ready by next month.

“Especially if you take into consideration our Universal Studios, which is huge. We have got about 16 shops over there and we have something for absolutely everybody within our retail offerings in Universal Studios,” added Mr Hawkes.

But the clincher for most people would be the opening of the theme park and casino.

Ron Lim, general manager, Crossroad Tours & Travel said: “I already got a group of 12 persons coming from Taiwan into Resorts World. From what we see, it is supposed to be good.

“Furthermore, Casino is tied up with a theme park so when the adults play at the casino they will still go to the theme park”.

Wendy Leong, general manager, City Tours said: “The main concern right now is when Universal Studio is going to be opened, so that we will be able to package it together including all the hotel stay as well.”

Resorts World is currently awaiting licensing approvals from authorities for both the casino and theme park. And when Universal Studios opens, 20 out of its 24 rides will be fully operational.

Over the next two years, visitors can expect phase two of Resorts World Sentosa to be completed. These include two more hotels and the marine life park, the world’s largest oceanarium.

Source: Channel News Asia, 18 Jan 2010

FIVE years in the making and now, the first integrated resort (IR), Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), will begin to open next week.

And to say that Singapore has a lot riding on this would be an understatement.

When the IRs were first given the green light back in 2005, job creation and a boost to the economy had been emphasised as key reasons to accord prominent and valuable development sites to what would essentially be a theme park and an exhibition hall with casinos. About 40,000 jobs were expected to be created indirectly by 2015, on top of the 10,000 jobs created at each IR. Within this period, Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP) was also projected to grow on the back of about $2.7 billion of value-add generated by the IR effect.

Today, apart from a few detractors, all signs seem to point towards the IR effect really working. Already, the construction and real estate sectors have benefited. Leong Wai Ho, an economist at Barclays Capital Research estimated that both IRs at maximum capacity could potentially add up to 1.7 percentage points to GDP in a given year, higher than the government’s most recent estimate of 0.5 to one per cent.

One reason for Mr Leong’s bullishness is that Singapore, which has historically never been a single-stop destination for tourists, could now change its profile. ‘The broader mix of activities could also induce each visitor to stay longer and spend more,’ he added. ‘Outside of construction, there is a wide range of beneficiaries – from food manufacturers, general suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions), entertainment venues, even banks and our capital markets,’ added Mr Leong.

There are challenges ahead though, and for Resorts World, this may come in the form of the neighbouring competition.

Jonathan Galaviz, an independent travel and leisure sector strategist, believed that it is reasonable to expect that by 2020, there will be several more cities in Asia that will offer integrated casino entertainment. ‘I think most cities in Asia would see a theme park being strategically beneficial to their tourism mix, but stand-alone theme parks generally have very low returns on capital, so investors are usually wary. It’s important for Singapore to begin looking at the next ‘wow factor’ that it must develop to be competitive in 2015 and beyond in Asia’s tourism sector,’ he said.

RWS is expected to roll out new attractions at Universal Studios Singapore (USS) regularly. Phase Two, which includes the world’s largest aquarium, will open next year.

But will it be enough to generate buzz?

‘Theme parks are successes or failures based upon the ability to get repeat visitation over a long multi-year period. There will be a lot of first time visitation in the first year of operation, but keeping the theme park exciting after five years of operation to attract repeat visitors is the key to financial success,’ added Mr Galaviz.

In terms of business viability, much will depend on the revenues generated by the casino. In this respect, Genting Singapore – RWS’s owner – may be in a relatively good position to weather a longer ramping-up period as parent Genting Berhad is flushed with cash.

Melvyn Boey, economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, added: ‘Debt covenants won’t be a major issue.’

Still, there are three gaming destinations nearby – Macau, Malaysia and Australia – and all would be loath to give up any share in the gaming pie, including Genting, which also owns the casinos in Malaysia.

Dean Macomber, a gaming consultant and president of Macomber International reckoned that the casinos ‘will do phenomenally well’. But with investment capital being so high – US$4.4 billion for RWS – Mr Macomber said: ‘This makes any source of revenue more critical but particularly so if a large category of revenue is placed in jeopardy of being lost, such as junket players and/or Singapore residents.’

Already, the current financial crisis is expected to have impacted bullish financial projections made earlier when the IR bids were first awarded in 2006.

Can the casinos survive without junkets? ‘What we do know is that Asian junket-driven demand is real and is large. All the metrics would indicate that the resident market is real and large,’ said Mr Macomber.

As the junket regulations were only released recently, it is likely that the IR operators would not have factored in the possibility of low junket support. ‘This means they must do the best they can with what they have, while, if necessary, find alternative sources of revenue/profit,’ added Mr Macomber.

RWS already seems to be on it.

All resorts have Mice facilities but those at RWS are proving to be quite substantial, boasting one of South-east Asia’s largest, column-free ballrooms, 26 function rooms and over 20 indoor and outdoor events venues for more than 35,000 delegates at any one time.

Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has said that it can host 45,000 delegates.

Trevor Soh, director of events organiser Pico Art, said that it is looking to stage events at both IRs. ‘Both MBS and RWS have different exciting offerings and attractions serving the needs and requirements of different events, organisers and participants. To event organisers, flexibility and service levels are very important selection criteria besides price, location and facilities,’ said Mr Soh.

Genting is not so well known as a Mice player but it apparently has a finger in this pie too. ‘Genting has a successful track record in operating leisure resorts with Mice facilities in the region. RWS will be able to leverage on the group’s experience and business network in the region,’ said Mr Soh.

Source: Business Times, 16 Jan 2010

THIN, grey-haired and soft-spoken, Mr Ralf Gresch, 44, manager at the Festive Hotel, makes an unlikely Pied Piper as he leads a boisterous brood of children through the plush hotel lobby.

‘You need to find Donkey,’ he says, waving a toy replica of the lovable cartoon character from the Hollywood animated blockbuster Shrek.

Instantly, half a dozen children forage under sofas and peek behind curtains in search of their grey, grinning friend.

‘Hey, I found one,’ shrieks a bespectacled 10- year-old. ‘Me too, me too,’ shout others.

The children were having a great time at the soft launch of Resorts World Sentosa’s (RWS) hotels last weekend, experiencing the hospitality on offer at Festive Hotel, one of the three hotels providing very different guest experiences.

For them and their parents – friends and family of RWS employees – the mood was one of childish high jinks and good cheer as they made the most of their free run of a brand new hotel.

The atmosphere at the Hard Rock Hotel next door was a tad more grown-up, with guests getting a glimpse into the lives of famous rock stars. Bruce Springsteen blared from the speakers and rooms were adorned with haunting black-and-white photographs of rock stars through the ages.

In contrast, elegance and sophistication ruled at Hotel Michael, with art aficionados marvelling at the angular designs of famed American architect Michael Graves, the designer of everything at the hotel – including the restaurant’s cutlery.

All three themed hotels – plus the elite invitation-only Crockfords Tower facility – will officially open their doors to the public on Wednesday. And a further two hotels are planned – Equarius and Spa Villas – to open at a later unspecified date.

When all are up and running, the resort will have a total of 1,800 rooms. Mr Roger Lienhard, vice-president of food and beverage and rooms at RWS, says visitors will be spoilt for choice.

‘Each one offers a vastly different experience in terms of design and ambience,’ he says.

Whatever style of accommodation is selected by visitors, they should be sure to enjoy a high level of service from staff. The Festive Hotel’s Mr Gresch insists that wherever staff are they will be ‘friendly, humble and always at your service’.

Their attention is focused on detail. For instance, a key task of every staff member at his hotel is to ensure children are given special treatment.

Over at Hard Rock, pleasing customers is also high on the agenda.The hotel’s manager, Mr Peter Wong, 50, who could pass muster as a rock star himself given his turquoise-streaked hair, has a whiteboard listing the service ‘challenges of the day’.

Last weekend, staff were grappling with a unique problem – how to quickly transport birthday cakes from the resort’s central kitchen at Hard Rock to Hotel Michael nearly a kilometre away.

‘We soon realised birthday amenities needed to be stocked at each individual hotel,’ said Mr Wong. ‘All it required was buying a few extra fridges.’

The smooth service and myriad comforts that the range of hotels promises do not come cheap.

Room rates inclusive of breakfast at the Festive Hotel start at $400 a night, at Hard Rock they come in at $450, while at Hotel Michael the base price is $500.

Given that even the luxurious Bellagio in Las Vegas is currently offering weekday rates starting at US$139 (S$195), aren’t the RWS rates a little on the high side?

Not according to hotel industry analyst Robert Hecker, who points out that the RWS prices are pre-discount ‘rack rates’.

More importantly, the ‘demand generators’ contained within the integrated resort make it natural for RWS hotels to charge a premium, said Mr Hecker, who works at consulting company Horwath HTL.

Comparing rates with Las Vegas might not be appropriate, he thinks. ‘Las Vegas is still hurting badly from the recession. And Singapore’s tourism curve is on the rise.’

Source: Straits Times, 16 Jan 2010

THE roulette wheels at the Marina Bay Sands will not be set spinning for several months yet.

Construction delays have pushed back the opening of the US$5.5 billion (S$7.6 billion) resort by more than three months. Slated to open by the end of last year, punters will now have to wait until April to get access to its gaming tables.

The postponement means it will miss out on the lucrative Chinese New Year gambling season. Competitor Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) could also have a higher chance of locking in local market share – Singaporean residents who pay for a $2,000 annual pass exclusive to one casino.

But coming in behind RWS at the finishing line does not mean being second best for Las Vegas Sands. The parent company of Marina Bay Sands has staved off potential bankruptcy and put a Macau project on hold to focus on its top priority, the Singapore resort. Brushing aside building overruns and soaring project costs, it says that it is the marathon after the opening that matters.

‘We are in it for decades, so the delay of a day or week is meaningless… We’re not going to open until it is right, whether it is delayed or not delayed,’ says Las Vegas Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson, who boldly predicts annual earnings of US$1 billion for the resort.

What the resort loses in time-keeping, it hopes to make up for with panache. When complete, its soaring skybridge will offer breathtaking views of the Singapore skyline. Top celebrity chefs are set to cook up a storm at its kitchens and gaming with Las Vegas flair will be available at its casino.

The vision is taking shape, said the resort’s chief executive officer and president Thomas Arasi. The 14 heavy pieces that make up the 7,000-tonne steel structure of the Sands SkyPark – a 1.2ha aerial park sitting on three 55-storey hotel towers – have been lifted. Hotel rooms up to the 22nd floor have been fitted out, the roofs are nearly finished on the convention centre and the casino, and the event plaza along Marina Bay is almost complete.

‘The spectacular design of Marina Bay Sands is coming alive and reshaping the skyline of Singapore,’ he says. ‘It’s really exciting to see this come together.’

The SkyPark is certainly going to be something of an architectural wonder. It is longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall and large enough to park 41/2 A-380 jumbo jets in. Aside from architectural spectacle, the resort will offer theatrical performances such as the much-touted Broadway musical The Lion King.

And for those more interested in gastronomic delights, there will be a chance to sample the creations of celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck of Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills, Daniel Boulud of Michelin-starred French restaurant Daniel in New York, Santi Santamaria of Michelin-starred Can Fabes in Spain, and Mario Batali of Italian restaurants Babbo and Lupa in New York.

‘Marina Bay Sands will set a new benchmark in the hospitality sector with the sheer scale of our facilities… as well as our exemplary service,’ adds Mr Arasi. The 2,600-room Marina Bay Sands – which includes more than 93,000 sq m of retail space, a museum and two theatres – is due to open in two phases.

The first phase will see half of the casino, 950 hotel rooms, three restaurants, and part of the convention venues and shopping space commence operations. The remaining facilities will open as part of the second phase 45 to 60 days later, with guest access to the SkyPark slated no later than two months after phase one.

Ahead of the phased opening, business is being drawn to this giant resort, with the Sands tapping into its considerable expertise in the Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) industry. It has lined up a series of events for the Sands Expo and Convention Centre that are expected to draw over 150,000 people between this year and 2012.

They range from the Industrial Fabrics Association International Expo Asia 2011 trade show – the first major textile event catering for an Asian audience – to an annual conference organised by the Inter-Pacific Bar Association that features former US vice-president Al Gore as a keynote speaker.

Rooms have already been booked by event organisers wanting to use the Sands for their conferences and trade shows, and 40 contracts have been signed with travel agents from around the world to bring in leisure travellers.

This makes Mr Adelson pretty bullish about the resort’s prospects. He is eyeing annual earnings of US$1 billion – way ahead of the US$400 million to US$800 million predicted by analysts.

Such takings will bring considerable spin-off benefits to the wider Singapore economy.

Taken together, the two integrated resorts are likely to contribute between 0.5 per cent and 1 per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product when fully operational.

The job windfall from this is going to be massive, with an estimated 14,000 employees needed to run the Marina Bay Sands resort and its tenanted shops. And many more will be employed indirectly by suppliers and contractors.

But Mr Arasi is keen to emphasise that the benefits of the Marina Bay Sands cannot be measured purely in terms of dollars and cents.

‘Beyond the numbers and economic benefits, Marina Bay Sands will be a very big part of creating a new mystique and a new buzz in Singapore.’

Source: Straits Times, 16 Jan 2010

Public bookings for Resorts World Sentosa hotels opened on Monday and more than 3,300 enquiries poured in.

Some 300 reservations were made on the first day of bookings as people took advantage of discounted opening rates.

The hotels are set to open to the public on January 20.

To help ensure smooth visitor arrivals at the integrated resort, taxi drivers were given a drive-through tour of the three main drop-off spots.

“This is a new place for us… so the orientation benefitted us,” said a taxi driver. “Passengers want to come to this hotel. Like Hard Rock Hotel and Festive Hotel. So (now) we know where it is.”

There are three taxi drop-off points at the integrated resort, which are near to attractions such as the Universal Studios Singapore theme park and the casino.

Apart from cars and taxis, visitors can also hop onboard buses and trains to reach the integrated resort.

Robin Goh, spokesperson for Resorts World Sentosa, said: “The most cost-effective and convenient (way to travel) would be public transport so visitors can choose either taking a bus – the Sentosa bus – to Sentosa… or they could actually hop on the Sentosa Express and get off at the first station called the Waterfront Station.”

The station will open on January 20, providing the integrated resort with an integrated transport solution.

Source: Channel News Asia, 11 Jan 2010

It is just some two weeks to go before Resorts World Sentosa opens it doors, and retailers at neighbouring shopping mall VivoCity are expecting better business from spillover human traffic.

Some estimate that business may go up about 20 per cent.

About 6,000 visitors take the monorail from VivoCity to Sentosa everyday. Many hang around in the mall even after returning to the mainland.

One tourist said: “We just came over from Sentosa on the monorail. We will grab a bite and buy something back.”

Visitor numbers to Sentosa are expected to go up once the integrated resort opens, and many retailers are upbeat about the prospect of increased spillover traffic.

Michael Tay, store manager, Best Denki, said: “I am very positive, looking at the situation; definitely it will bring us more traffic, probably it will help us to increase about 20 per cent of the business.”

To handle the crowds, VivoCity set up an additional customer service counter last month and doubled its pool of sales and security staff. More information panels have also been added. Outside the mall, transport facilities are also being ramped up.

A new pedestrian boardwalk to Sentosa is being built and transport operator SMRT will announce new public bus services within the next two weeks. It currently runs shuttle services for staff and family of Resorts World Sentosa.

ComfortDelGro, which manages SBS Transit, said it is currently “exploring the possibility” of running direct shuttle services into Sentosa.

Source: Channel News Asia, 8 Jan 2010

LTA, Sentosa roll out measures to raise accessibility as they prepare for IR opening

SENTOSA and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) are spending $300 million to bolster infrastructure, widen roads and put new trains on the island’s monorail tracks as they prepare for the opening of Resorts World Sentosa – Singapore’s first integrated resort.

‘We expect Sentosa’s annual visitor numbers to more than double in the coming years,’ said Mike Barclay, chief executive of Sentosa Development Corporation. The island gets about 6 million visitors a year now, but this is expected to rise to 15-20 million visitors over the coming years.

The measures taken by Sentosa Development Corporation and LTA are intended to facilitate access to Sentosa across all modes of transport, Mr Barclay added.

They are focused on three main areas: improving the road infrastructure in and around Sentosa; increasing the capacity and variety of public transport options between the mainland and Sentosa and also within Sentosa itself; and reviewing the pricing strategy of the various modes of transport into the island.

There will be changes to the gantry and car park charges to encourage visitors to take public transport, car pool or share cabs during peak hours.

‘We urge the public to take advantage of public transport to go to Sentosa and the resort,’ said LTA chief executive Yam Ah Mee.

For example, the existing charges are $2 for each private vehicle as well as $2 for each visitor. This will be replaced with variable flat charges on a per vehicle basis. Under the new system, a vehicle can pay up to $7 to enter the island, regardless of the number of passengers in the car.

On the other hand, public transport will become cheaper in some cases. The price of the shuttle bus service into the island will be cut by $1. Sentosa has also increased the capacity of the monorail trains in the island.

Outside the island, LTA has completed several enhancements to the road network. These include the reconfiguration of the ramp system to the West Coast Highway viaduct, which was completed last month.

A second vehicular bridge – which runs parallel to the existing bridge – linking Sentosa to the mainland was also opened in September last year, doubling road capacity to and from the island.

And more plans are in the pipeline. Sentosa is looking to further improve links within the island and is looking at a second cableway system and a buggy service for hotel guests.

A tender has also been called to introduce shuttle services between Sentosa and Changi Airport, hotels, key shopping districts and Singapore’s heartlands by the second quarter of 2010.

Source: Business Times, 8 Jan 2010

New venues pique interest and could snatch meetings, conventions and exhibitions from incumbents

They just emerged from a challenging year, but meetings and exhibitions executives now have to prepare themselves for a tougher campaign ahead.

Once the integrated resorts (IRs) are launched, the amount of exhibition space in Singapore is going to jump by a whopping 180,000 square metres – not a number to sniff at since current big players have only about 135,000 sq m between them.

And if you throw the glitzy lights of Broadway musicals and the whirring sound of the jackpot machines into the mix, it’s no wonder that current meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) players are bending over backwards to keep their clients happy.

And the incumbents certainly have their work cut out for them.

Already, Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) have snagged over 60 events running until 2012.

It doesn’t help that the new kids on the block also have the novelty factor in their favour.

According to Nancy Tan, managing director at conference organiser Ace:Daytons Direct, the two IRs piqued interest as far back as two years ago.

There were clients who requested for the IRs as an option when selecting venues, she told BT. ‘People want to try new venues.’

However, she added, that the venue needs to match event requirements, something that could go either way for both incumbents and the new players.

For instance, depending on the scale of the business event, a certain number of hotel rooms may also have to be booked at MBS. This may not be entirely suitable for conferences where delegates pay out of their own pockets for their hotel rooms, she pointed out.

On the other hand, Gaming Asia – which took place at the Expo last year – will be held at MBS from July 15-16. The new location is ‘ideal’ given that the exhibition is casino and gaming-related and that MBS is in the central business district, said Lynn Ee, marcom executive with organiser ComExpo Pte Ltd.

Gaming Asia, which attracted nearly 1,500 visitors last year, is widening its focus this year to include training and education opportunities within the industry, security as well as merchandising, in addition to gaming equipment.

Still, there’s an element of musical chairs going on with the same events making the rounds at different venues.

For instance, MBS’s firmed-up list shows that events such as the Aerospace Supplier eXchange – which took place at the Singapore Expo last year – will move to MBS in 2011 and Sea Asia – which was held at Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre last April – will shift to MBS in 2011.

But if there’s a silver lining for MICE players, it’s that this doesn’t seem to be a zero-sum game because the IRs seem to be opening up the scene by attracting new events to Singapore.

RWS will host World Urban Transit Congress in October as well as Singapore LIVE – in conjunction with Singapore Arts Fest – in June. And at least six events in MBS’s line-up are new, including the Industrial Fabrics Association International Expo Asia 2011 and Dye+Chem Asia International Expo 2010. The 2010 UFI Congress, which will be held at MBS, will also make its way back to Singapore after 15 years.

MBS believes that the IR offers consumers greater choice and will ultimately grow the industry.

‘The integrated design means we can provide convenience and efficiency. This translates to significant cost savings,’ added the MBS spokesman.

‘Singapore already has excellent existing MICE facilities and RWS is working in close partnership with them to create more reasons for repeat visitorship,’ highlighted RWS’s director of MICE, Elena Arabadjieva.

To compete, industry players such as Suntec recognise they have to go ‘beyond the call of duty’ and stay ‘flexible’, so as to keep clients happy.

To drum up strong business for this year, the Expo has increased its sales trips and marketing activities, and has also just appointed a US agent.

Every year, Singapore hosts more than 6,000 business events. According to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the business travel and MICE industry brought in nearly $6 billion in tourism receipts in 2008, which is close to 40 per cent of total tourism receipts.

While 2009 figures have yet to be released, the year was a fairly challenging one for the MICE industry.

There was a drop in attendance and, in some cases, budgets were revised by as much as 20-25 per cent, said Ace’s Ms Tan.

‘While all (organisers and exhibitors) went ahead with their scheduled show dates, they were conscious of their budgets,’ said Chandran Nair, deputy general manager of Singex Venues, which manages the Expo.

In 2009, Suntec hosted about 1,400 events – down slightly from 1,575 events in 2008. However, at 6.7 million visitors, it also saw a 5 per cent increase in visitor numbers over 2008.

And with the economy showing signs of recovery, the MICE scene could see a far better year in 2010. Tony Lai, assistant chief executive at STB, felt that the tourism industry was well-placed to seize opportunities.

Source: Business Times, 8 Jan 2010

Phased opening planned as it waits for casino licence

TECHNICALLY, Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) can now open for business as it has received TOP (temporary occupation permit) from the authorities. It also has more than 6,000 staff on board and over 1,000 more on their way soon.

However, the operator’s casino licence is still being processed.

Nevertheless, it has committed to opening some parts of the resort this month anyway.

In a statement released yesterday, RWS, which is owned by Genting Singapore, said that it would begin its ‘phased opening’ from Jan 20 beginning with four hotels.

Reservations for rooms and restaurants begin on Jan 10.

A check with RWS revealed that the Universal Studios Singapore buildings have also received TOP but will open later.

Festive Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Crockfords Tower and Hotel Michael will provide a total of 1,350 rooms and 10 restaurants.

As the casino is located in the basement of Crockfords Tower, it too has received TOP. However, RWS said that the opening date for the casino will be announced when it gets the casino licence.

Earlier reports noted that RWS’s submission for the casino licence had been delayed because its submission was incomplete. RWS declined to comment on any outstanding issues.

When contacted, the Casino Regulatory Authority said the casino licence is still being processed.

To date, the price tag for RWS is US$4.4 billion.

Chairman of the Genting Group and RWS Lim Kok Thay said: ‘When the Genting Group won the bid to build Resorts World Sentosa in December 2006, we promised Singapore that we will deliver a true IR that will make Singapore and Singaporeans proud. We have been single-minded about this – no distractions or excuses – and today, we are happy to say we marked the first milestone towards delivering on that promise.’

Before the hotels open to the public on the Jan 20, two were opened to the staff of RWS yesterday.

RWS CEO Tan Hee Teck said that the phased schedule allows the resort and its projected 10,000 employees to ‘run in operations’.

He also acknowledged that RWS ‘had not only opened on time, but ahead of schedule’.

Phase Two of the integrated resort will open later. This includes two more hotels with a total of 500 rooms, a destination spa, the Marine Life Park and the Maritime Experiential Museum.

Source: Business Times, 6 Jan 2010