A

Dissertation Report Entitled

Tourism In Singapore

Submitted In Partial Fulfilment Of Under-Graduate Degree

Bachelor of Business Administration

To

Shardha Univrersty

-:Submitted By:-Pulkit Punj

2008 – 2011

-:The Research Guide:-All Faculty Guides

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT1

It gives me immense pleasure to present this report on “TOURISM IN SINGAPORE”, in partial fulfilment of under-graduate course “Bachelor in Business Administration”.

No work can be carried out without the help & guidance of various persons. I am happy to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to those who have been to me in completing this project report.

At the outset I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude to “Every Faculty”, which without their guidance it wouldn’t have been possible for me to complete this dissertation report.

Lastly I would like to thank my parents, friends & well wishers who encouraged me to do this report work & all those who directly or indirectly helped me in completing this report work, to whom I am obligated to.

Pulkit Punj

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DECLERATIONI Pulkit Punj, student of Bachelor Of Business Administration (General), 2008 – 2011, studying at Sardha Uniersity, declare that the report work entitled “Tourism In Singapore” was carried out by me in the partial fulfilment of BBA program under the Amity University.

This project was undertaken as a part of academic curriculum according to the university rules and norms and it has not commercial interest and motive. It is my original work. It is not submitted to any other organization for any other purpose.

Date:

Place: Singapore

Pulkit Punj

BBA – 3rd Year

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CONTENTS

No. ParticularsPage No.

I Certificate 1II Acknowledgement 2III Decleration 3IV Contents 41 Introduction 62 History of Singapore 9

- Early History 9 - Foundation of Modern Singapore 10 - Singapore in Malaysia 11 - History of Republic of Singapore 13

3 Culture 14 - Languages 14 - Festival 15 - Religion 15 - Cuisine 15 - Cultural Policy 16 - Performing Arts 16

4 Economy 175 Tourism in Singapore 19

- Tourism Stats 20 - General Trends 21 - Recent Years 22 - Singapore Tourism Board 23

6Singapore Attractions 25 - Marina Bay Sands 26

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- Singapore Flyer 32 - Universal Studios 36 - Sentosa 41 - Resort World Sentosa 47 - Clark Quay 50 - Jurong Bird Park 52 - Night Safari 55 - Singapore Grand Prix 57 - Singapore Zoo 59 - Wild Wild West 62 - Marina Barage 63 - Bukit Timah Nature Reserve 65 - Orchard Road 67 - Palau Ubin 71 - Sungei Buloh Wetlands 72 - Singapore Garden Festival 73 - Singapore Botanic Garden 75 - Little India 76 - Singapore Art Festival 78 - Mustafa Centrre 79 - The Sail @ Marina Bay 80 - The Helix Bridge 81 - Bugis Street 82 - Arab Street 83

7 Future Development 848 Conclusion 879 Recommendations 88

10 References 89

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INTRODUCTION

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a city-state island country off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator, in Southeast Asia. It is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. Singapore is the world's fourth leading financial centre and a cosmopolitan world city, playing a key role in international trade and finance. The port of Singapore is one of the five busiest ports in the world.

Singapore has a long history of immigration. There are slightly over 5 million people in Singapore of which 2.91 million are born locally. Forty-three percent of the population in Singapore are foreign-born. Singapore has a diverse population made up mainly of Asians (mostly Chinese, Malays, Indians, and Asians of various other descents) and some Caucasians. A.T. Kearney named Singapore the most globalised country in the world in 2001 in its Globalization Index.

The Economist Intelligence Unit in its "Quality-of-Life Index" ranks Singapore as having the best quality of life in Asia and eleventh overall in the world. Singapore possesses the world's ninth largest foreign reserves. The country also maintains armed forces that are technologically advanced and well-equipped. Before independence in 1965, Singapore had a GDP per capita of $511, the third highest in East Asia at the time. After independence,foreign direct investment and a state-led drive for industrialisation based on plans by former Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee andAlbert Winsemius created a modern economy. After a contraction of -6.8% in the 4th quarter of 2009, Singapore claimed the title of fastest-growing economy in the world, with GDP growth of 14.5% for the year 2010.

The English name of Singapore is derived from its Malay name, Singapura, thus the customary reference to the nation as the Lion City. Studies indicate that lions probably never lived on the island; the beast seen by Sang Nila Utama, founder of ancient Singapore, who gave the city its name, was most likely a tiger.

Singapore consists of 63 islands, including mainland Singapore. The main island, widely known as Singapore Island, is officially called Pulau Ujong. There are two man-made connections to Johor, Malaysia: the Johor–Singapore Causeway in the north, and the Tuas

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Second Link in the west. Jurong Island, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin and Sentosa are the largest of Singapore's many smaller islands. The highest natural point is Bukit Timah Hill at 166 m (545 ft).

Singapore has ongoing land reclamation projects, as a result of which its land area grew from 581.5 km2 (224.5 sq mi) in the 1960s to 704 km2(271.8 sq mi) today, and may grow by another 100 km2 (38.6 sq mi) by 2030. Some projects involve smaller islands being merged through land reclamation to form larger, more functional islands, as in the case of Jurong Island. About 23% of Singapore's land area consists of forest and nature reserves. Urbanisation has eliminated most of the former primary rainforest, with Bukit Timah Nature Reserve the only significant remaining forest.

Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasons, uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Temperatures range from 22 to 34 °C (71.6 to 93.2 °F). On average, the relative humidity is around 90% in the morning and 60% in the afternoon. During prolonged heavy rain, relative humidity often reaches 100%.

May and June are the hottest months, with the wetter monsoon season in November and December. From August to October, there is often haze caused by bush fires in neighbouring Indonesia. Singapore does not observe daylight saving time or a summer time zone change. The length of the day is nearly constant all year round.

Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasons, uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Temperatures range from 22 to 34 °C (71.6 to 93.2 °F). On average, the relative humidity is around 90% in the morning and 60% in the afternoon. During prolonged heavy rain, relative humidity often reaches 100%.

May and June are the hottest months, with the wetter monsoon season in November and December. From August to October, there is often haze caused by bush fires in neighbouring Indonesia. Singapore does not observe daylight saving time or a summer time zone change. The length of the day is nearly constant all year round.

Tourism in Singapore is a major industry and attracts millions of tourists each year. Its cultural attraction can be attributed to its cultural diversity that reflects its colonial history and Chinese, Malay, Indian and Arab ethnicities. It is also environmentally friendly, and maintains natural and heritage conservation programs. As English is the dominant one of its four official languages, it is generally easier for tourists to understand when speaking to the local population of the country, for example, when shopping. Transport in

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Singapore exhaustively covers most, if not all public venues in Singapore, which increases convenience for tourists. This includes the well-known Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system.

The Orchard Road district, which is dominated by multi-story shopping centres and hotels, can be considered the center of tourism in Singapore. Other popular tourist attractions include the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, which allows people to explore Asian, African and American habitats at night without any visible barriers between guests and the wild animals. The Singapore Zoo has embraced the 'open zoo' concept whereby animals are kept in enclosures, separated from visitors by hidden dry or wet moats, instead of caging the animals. Jurong Bird Park is another zoological garden centred around birds, which is dedicated towards exposing the public to as much species and varieties of birds from around the world as possible, including a flock of one thousand flamingos.

The tourist island of Sentosa, which attracts more than 5 million visitors a year, is located in the south of Singapore, consists of about 20-30 landmarks, such as Fort Siloso, which was built as a fortress to defend against the Japanese during World War II. Guns from the World War II era can be seen at Fort Siloso, from a mini-sized to a 16 pound (7 kg) gun. Moreover, the island has built the Tiger Sky Tower, which allows visitors to view the whole of Sentosa, as well as theSentosa Luge, a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleighs supine and feet-first. Steering is done by shifting the weight or pulling straps attached to the sled's runners. Singapore has two integrated resorts which house casinos, namely Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa.

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HISTORY OF SINGAPORE

The history of Singapore dates to the 11th century. The island rose in importance during the 14th century under the rule of Srivijayan prince Parameswara and became an important port until it was destroyed by Portuguese raiders in 1613. The modern history of Singapore began in 1819 when Englishman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles established a British port on the island. Under British colonial rule, it grew in importance as a centre for both the India-China trade and the entrepôt trade in Southeast Asia, rapidly becoming a major port city.

During World War II, Singapore was conquered and occupied by the Japanese Empire from 1942 to 1945. When the war ended, Singapore reverted to British control, with increasing levels of self-government being granted, culminating in Singapore's merger with the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963. However, social unrest and disputes between Singapore's ruling People's Action Party and Malaysia's Alliance Party resulted in Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia. Singapore became an independent republic on 9 August 1965.

Facing severe unemployment and a housing crisis, Singapore embarked on a modernisation programme that focused on establishing a manufacturing industry, developing large public housing estates and investing heavily on public education. Since independence, Singapore's economy has grown by an average of nine percent each year. By the 1990s, the country had become one of the world's most prosperous nations, with a highly-developed free market economy, strong international trading links, and the highest per capita gross domestic product in Asia outside of Japan.

Early history of Singapore The earliest written record of Singapore occurs in a Chinese account from the third century, describing the island of Pu Luo Chung. This was itself a transliteration from the Malay name "Pulau Ujong", or "island at the end" (of the Malay peninsula).The quasi-mythological Sejarah Melayu(Malay Annals) contains a tale of a prince of Srivijaya, Sri Tri Buana (also known as Sang Nila Utama), who landed on the island during the 13th century. When he saw a lion, the prince took this as an auspicious sign and founded a settlement called Singapura, which means "Lion City" in Malay. However, it is unlikely there ever were lions in Singapore, though tigers continued to roam the island until the early 20th century.

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In 1320, the Mongol Empire sent a trade mission to a place called Long Ya Men (or Dragon's Tooth Strait), which is believed to be Keppel Harbour, at the southern part of the island. The Chinese traveler Wang Dayuan, visiting the island around 1330, described a small settlement called Dan Ma Xi with Malay and Chinese residents.

The Nagarakretagama, a Javanese epic poem written in 1365, also referred to a settlement on the island called Temasek (Sea Town). Recent excavations in Fort Canning found evidence indicating that Singapore was an important port in the 14th century.

In the 1390s, a Palembang prince, Parameswara, fled to Temasek after being deposed by the Majapahit kingdom. During the 14th century, Singapore was caught in the struggle between Siam (now Thailand) and the Java-based Majapahit Empire for control over the Malay Peninsula. According to Sejarah Melayu, Singapore was defeated in one Majapahit attack. He ruled the island for several years, before being forced to Melaka where he founded the Sultanate of Malacca. Singapore became an important trading port of the Malacca Sultanate[2] and later the Sultanate of Johor. In the early 15th century, Singapore was a Thai vassal state, but the Malacca Sultanate which Iskandar had founded quickly extended its authority over the island. After the Portuguese seizure of Malacca in 1511, the Malay admiral fled to Singapura and established a new capital at Johor Lama, keeping a port officer in Singapura. The Portuguese destroyed Johor Lama in 1587. In 1613, Portuguese raiders burnt down the settlement at the mouth of Singapore River and the island sank into obscurity.

Founding of modern Singapore Between the 16th and 19th centuries, the Malay archipelago was gradually taken over by the European colonial powers, beginning with the arrival of thePortuguese at Malacca in 1509. The early dominance of the Portuguese was challenged during the 17th century by the Dutch, who came to control most of the ports in the region. The Dutch established a monopoly over trade within the archipelago, particularly in spices, then the region's most important product. Other colonial powers, including the British, were limited to a relatively minor presence.

In 1818, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of the British colony at Bencoolen. He was determined that Great Britain should replace the Netherlands as the dominant power in the archipelago, since the trade route between China and British India, which had become vitally important with the institution of the opium trade with China, passed through the archipelago. The Dutch had been stifling British trade in the region by prohibiting the British from operating in Dutch-controlled ports or by subjecting them to a high tariff. Raffles hoped to challenge the

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Dutch by establishing a new port along the Straits of Malacca, the main ship passageway for the India-China trade. He convinced Lord Hastings, the Governor-General of India and his superior at the British East India Company, to fund an expedition to seek a new British base in the region.

Raffles arrived in Singapore on 29 January 1819 and soon recognized the island as a natural choice for the new port. It lay at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, near the Straits of Malacca, and possessed a natural deep harbor,fresh water supplies, and timber for reparing ships. Raffles found a small Malay settlement, with a population of a few hundred, at the mouth of the Singapore River, headed by Temenggong Abdu'r Rahman. The island was nominally ruled by the Sultan of Johor, Tengku Rahman, who was controlled by the Dutch and the Bugis. However, theSultanate was weakened by factional division and Temenggong Abdu'r Rahman and his officials were loyal to Tengku Rahman's elder brother Tengku Hussein (or Tengku Long) who was living in exile in Riau. With the Temenggong's help, Raffles managed to smuggle Hussein back into Singapore. He offered to recognize Hussein as the rightful Sultan of Johor and provide him with a yearly payment; in return, Hussein would grant the British the right to establish a trading post on Singapore. A formal treaty was signed on 6 February 1819 and modern Singapore was born.

Singapore in Malaysia Merger

On 16 September 1963, Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak were formally merged and Malaysia was formed. The PAP Government felt that Singapore's survival as a nation would be difficult. They lacked natural resources and faced a declining entrepot trade and a growing population which required jobs. Therefore, Singapore felt that the merger was thought to benefit the economy by creating a common free market, eliminating trade tariffs, solving unemployment woes and to support new industries. The British government were reluctant to grant full independence to Singapore because they believed it would provide a haven for communism.

The union was rocky from the start. During the 1963 Singapore state elections, a local branch of UMNO took part in the election despite an earlier UMNO's agreement with the PAP not to participate in the state's politics during Malaysia's formative years.

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Although UMNO lost all its bids, relations between PAP and UMNO worsened as the PAP, in a tit-for-tat, challenged UMNO candidates in the 1964 federal election as part of the Malaysian Solidarity Convention, winning one seat in Malaysian Parliament.

Racial tension

Racial tensions increased as the Chinese in Singapore disdained being discriminated against by the federal policies of affirmative action, which granted special privileges to the Malays guaranteed under Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia. There were also other financial and economic benefits that were preferentially given to Malays. Lee Kuan Yew and other political leaders began advocating for the fair and equal treatment of all races in Malaysia, with a rallying cry of "Malaysian Malaysia!"

Meanwhile, the Malays in Singapore were being increasingly incited by the federal government's accusations that the PAP was mistreating the Malays. The external political situation was also tense when Indonesian President Sukarno declared a state of Konfrontasi (Confrontation) against Malaysia and initiated military and other actions against the new nation, including the bombing of MacDonald House in Singapore 10 March 1965 by Indonesian commandos, killing three people. Indonesia also conducted sedition activities to provoke the Malays against the Chinese. Numerous racial riots resulted and curfews were frequently imposed to restore order. The most notorious riots were the 1964 Race Riots that first took place on Prophet Muhammad's birthday on 21 July with twenty three people killed and hundreds injured. During the unrest, the price of food skyrocketed when transport system was disrupted, causing further hardship for the people.

The state and federal governments also had conflicts on the economic front. UMNO leaders feared that the economic dominance of Singapore would inevitably shift political power away from Kuala Lumpur. Despite earlier agreement to establish a common market, Singapore continued to face restrictions when trading with the rest of Malaysia. In retaliation, Singapore refused to provide Sabah and Sarawak the full extent of the loans previously agreed to for the economic development of the two eastern states. The Bank of China branch of Singapore was closed by the Central Government in Kuala Lumpur as it was suspected to fund the communists in China. The situation escalated to such intensity that talks soon broke down and abusive speeches and writings became rife on both sides. UMNO extremists called for the arrest of Lee Kuan Yew.

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Separation

Seeing no other alternative to avoid further bloodshed, the Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman decided to expel Singapore from the federation. The Parliament of Malaysia voted 126-0 in favor of the expulsion on 9 August 1965. On that day, a tearful Lee Kuan Yew announced on a televised press conference that Singapore was a sovereign, independent nation. The new state became the Republic of Singapore and Yusof bin Ishak was appointed the first President.

History of the Republic of Singapore The history of the Republic of Singapore began when Singapore gained its independence and became a republic following an ejection from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. After the separation, the fledgling nation had to become self-sufficient, and faced problems including mass unemployment, housing shortages and lack of land and natural resources such as petroleum. During Lee Kuan Yew's term as prime minister from 1959 to 1990, his administration curbed unemployment, raised thestandard of living and implemented a large-scale public housing programme.The country’s economic infrastructure was developed, racial tension was eliminated and an independent national defence system was created. Singapore evolved from adeveloping nation to first world status towards the end of the 20th century.

In 1990, Goh Chok Tong succeeded Lee as Prime Minister. During his tenure, the country tackled the economic impacts of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2003 SARS outbreak, as well as terrorist threats posed by the Jemaah Islamiah (JI)post-September 11 and the Bali bombings. In 2004 Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third prime minister.

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Culture Of Singapore

Singapore was a part of British Malaya for many centuries. It was ruled by the Sultanate of Johor. In 1819, the British came to the Island and set up a port and colony. During British rule, the port of Singapore flourished and attracted many migrants. After World War 2, Singapore became an independent nation and a republic, which it remains today.

Singapore has a diverse populace of nearly 5 million people which is made up of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Caucasians and Eurasians (plus other mixed groups) and Asians of different origins, which is in line with the nation's history as a crossroads for various ethnic and racial groups.

In addition, 42% of Singapore's populace are foreigners, which makes it the country with the sixth highest proportion of foreigners worldwide. Singapore is also the third most densely populated in the world after Macau and Monaco. Singaporean culture is best described as a melting pot of mainly Chinese, British, Malay, and Indian cultures, a reflection of its immigrant history.

Languages Many Singaporeans, though not all, are bilingual. Most speak English and another language, most commonly Mandarin Chinese, Malayor Tamil. English is the first language of Singapore. The standard form of English spoken in Singapore is Singapore Standard English, which uses British spellings and grammar. However, there is also a local dialect of English, Singlish, that is unique to Singapore.

Singapore is a multi-lingual nation and Singaporeans speak different languages as their first language. In 2005, 36% of Singaporeans speak Mandarin at home. 30% speak English at home and 13% speak Malay while 3% speak Tamil at home. Singaporeans who do not speak English as their home language normally speak it as their second language.

As part of the multi-cultural ethos of the nation, one language was also chosen to represent each of the four major ethnic or 'racial' groups. The 'national' language of Singapore is Bahasa Melayu. This is in recognition of the Malay people as the indigenous community in Singapore. 85% of Singaporeans do not speak Malay. Malay is used in the national anthem, national motto and military parade drill commands. Tamil is an official language as a majority of South Asians in Singapore are ethnic Tamils from India and Sri Lanka. While most Chinese Singaporeans are descendants of southern Chinese migrants

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who spoke a variety of regional languages, it is the northern Chinese language of Mandarin that is official in Singapore.

Festivals The major public holidays reflect the mentioned racial diversity, including Chinese New Year, Buddhist Vesak Day, Muslim Eid ul-Fitr (known locally by its Malay name Hari Raya Puasa), and Hindu Diwali (known locally by its Tamil name Deepavali). Christians constitute a large and rapidly growing minority, and Christmas Day, Good Friday, and New Year's Dayare also public holidays. On August 9, Singapore celebrates the anniversary of its independence with a series of events, including the National Day Parade which is the main ceremony. The National Day Parade, 2005 was held at the Padang in the city centre.

Religion Singapore is a multi-religious country, the roots of which can be traced to its strategic location; after its declaration as a port, a wide variety of nationalities and ethnicities from places as far as Arabia immigrated to Singapore. More than 40% of the Singaporeans adhere to Buddhism, the main faith of the Chinese population of Singapore. Other Chinese are followers of Taoism, Confucianism, and Christianity. Christians constitute about 14% of the population of Singapore. Most Malays are Muslims, who constitute about 15% of the population, while most Indians are Hindus, constituting 7%. There is also a sizable number of Muslims and Sikhs in the Indian population. As a result of this diversity, there are a large number of religious buildings including Hindu temples, churches and mosques, some of which have great historical significance. There are also some Sikh temples and Jewish synagogues. These interesting buildings often became prominent architectural landmarks in cosmopolitan Singapore. In addition, about 14% of Singaporeans do not belong to any religion and consider themselves as free-thinkers.

Cuisine Singaporean cuisine is also a prime example of diversity and cultural diffusion in Singapore. In Singapore's hawker centres, for example, traditionally Malay hawker stalls selling halal food may serve halal versions of traditionally Tamil food. Chinese stalls may introduce Malayingredients, cooking techniques or entire dishes into their range of catering. This

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continues to make the cuisine of Singapore significantly rich and a cultural attraction. Singaporeans also enjoy a wide variety of seafood including crabs, clams, squid, and oysters. One favorite dish is thestingray barbecued and served on banana leaf and with sambal (chilli).

Cultural Policy Singapore maintains tight restrictions on arts and cultural performances. Most artistic works have to be vetted by the government in advance, and topics that breach so-called out of bounds markers (OB markers) are not permitted. While the OB markers are not publicly defined, they are generally assumed to include sensitive topics such as race, religion, and allegations of corruption or nepotism in government. Nudity and other forms of loosely-defined "obscenity" are also banned. Singaporean film director Royston Tan has produced movies which challenge these policies, including a movie called Cut in reference to censorship of the arts. The country's first pre-tertiary arts school, School Of The Arts, is currently being built at Kirk Terrace. Expected to commence in 2008, the school aims to provide an environment for nurturing young artists aged between 13 and 18 years old. There has been much public rhetoric about liberalization and its association with the development of a creative economy in Singapore.

Performing Arts Singapore is emerging as a cultural centre for arts and culture, including theatre and music. As acosmopolitan and multi-racial society, Singapore is often identified with the "gateway between the East and West". In the past decade, there is an emergence of several performing arts groups in Singapore, especially in theatrical arts. A number of productions were staged successfully and several groups, such as TheatreWorks, have performed overseas. The Singapore government encourages a product-oriented arts scene within its master plan to include arts as a commodity for its economy, true explorations and innovation exist but at a level that is not well funded.

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Economy Of Singapore

Currency: Singapore Dollar (SGD)

Fiscal Year: April 1st – March 31st

GDP: S$235.7 billion (2009 est.)

GDP Growth: 17.9% (first half of 2010 est.)

GDP Per Capita: S$50,300 (2009 est.)

GDP by sector: agriculture: 0%; industry: 26.8%; services: 73.2% (2009 est.)

Inflation (CPI): 0.2% (2009 est.)

Population below poverty line: N/A

Gini index: 48.1 (2008)

Labour force: 3.03 million (2009 est.)

Labour force by occupation: manufacturing 18%, construction 6%, transportation and

communication 11%, financial, business, and other

services 39%, other 26% (2003)

Unemployment: 3% (2009 est.)

Main industries: electronics, chemicals, financialservices,oildrilling equipment,

petroleum refining,rubber processing and rubber products,

 processed food and beverages, shiprepair, offshore platform

construction, life sciences, entrepot trade

Exports: S$268.9 billion (2009 est.)

Export goods: machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods,

pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, mineral fuels

Main export partners: HongKong 11.6%, Malaysia 11.5%, Unitedstates 11.2%,

 Indonesia 9.7%, China 9.7%,Japan 4.6% (2009 est.)

Imports: S$245 billion (2009 est.)

Import goods: machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs, consumer

goods

Main import partners: United States 14.7%, Malaysia 11.6%,China 10.5%, Japan 7.6%,

 Indonesia 5.8%,South Korea 5.7% (2009 est.)

FDI stock: $264.1 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Gross external debt: $19.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Public debt: 117.6% of GDP (2009 est.)

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Revenues: S$21.29 billion (2009 est.)

Expenses: S$24.14 billion (2009 est.)

Economic aid: none

Foreign reserves: $187.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

20072008

20092010

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

224412 235632 268900309400

Gross Domestic Product

GDP

Gross Domestic Product of Singapore for last 4 years

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Tourism in Singapore

Singapore has become an acclaimed tourist hub of the world. Many factors have contributed to this including cultural diversity of the country, picturesque landscape, intoxicating mix of tradition and modernity, high standard of living, economic stability, effective law and order management, cleanliness, pollution-free environment despite large urban settlement and industrialization, religious and ethnic tolerance towards all, modern infrastructure and high-end transportation. English is one of Singapore's official languages and is spoken widely.

The colonial past of the island nation contributed to interaction with Chinese, Malay, Arab and Indian ethnicities which enriched its cultural diversity. The state is very clean and environmentally friendly and conserves its natural and historical heritage. The public transport system is robust which covers most, if not all, of the public attractions. 

The Orchard Road is dominated by hotels, shopping centers, restaurants and exotic spots and considered the heart of Singapore's tourism. Other attractions include Night Safari and Singapore Zoo where people can explore African, Asian and American habitats. The former is an open zoo while the latter exhibits the animals in their natural habitats during night. The island of Sentosa is also a big draw amongst tourists consisting of 20-30 landmark attractions including Fort Siloso, Carlsberg Sky Tower and Sentosa Luge. Since 1960’s, the tourism industry in Singapore has been on rise and stood as the major contributor of revenues. 

This rise in tourism was a continuing story year after year except for a few years in which global economic slowdown took its toll. In 2007, more than 10 million tourists visited the state which earned the country around S$13 billion in tourism receipts. The state aims to raise the arrivals to 17 million by 2015 with a view to raise tourism revenue to S$30 billion.

Tourism in Singapore is a major industry and attracts millions of tourists each year. Its cultural attraction can be attributed to its cultural diversity that reflects its colonial history and Chinese, Malay, Indian and Arab ethnicities. It is also environmentally friendly, and maintains natural and heritage conservation programs. As English is the dominant one of its four official languages, it is generally easier for tourists to understand when speaking to the local population of the country, for example, when shopping. Transport in Singapore exhaustively covers most, if not all public venues in Singapore, which increases convenience for tourists. This includes the well-known Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system.

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The Orchard Road district, which is dominated by multi-story shopping centres and hotels, can be considered the center of tourism in Singapore. Other popular tourist attractions include the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, which allows people to explore Asian, African and American habitats at night without any visible barriers between guests and the wild animals. The Singapore Zoo has embraced the 'open zoo' concept whereby animals are kept in enclosures, separated from visitors by hidden dry or wet moats, instead of caging the animals. Jurong Bird Park is another zoological garden centred around birds, which is dedicated towards exposing the public to as much species and varieties of birds from around the world as possible, including a flock of one thousand flamingos. The tourist island of Sentosa, which attracts more than 5 million visitors a year, is located in the south of Singapore, consists of about 20-30 landmarks, such as Fort Siloso, which was built as a fortress to defend against the Japanese during World War II. Guns from the World War II era can be seen at Fort Siloso, from a mini-sized to a 16 pound (7 kg) gun. Moreover, the island has built the Tiger Sky Tower, which allows visitors to view the whole of Sentosa, as well as theSentosa Luge, a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleighs supine and feet-first. Steering is done by shifting the weight or pulling straps attached to the sled's runners. Singapore has two integrated resorts which house casinos, namely Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa.

Tourism Statistics o In 2006, the number of tourists visiting Singapore reached a record number of 9.7

million as compared to 8.9 million in 2005, beating expectations.o Visitors spent an estimated S$12.4 billion compared to 10.8 billion in Year 2005,

resulting in a 14% increase last year compared to the 2005.o Visitors stayed for an average of 4.2 days in 2006, and Indonesia was the main

source of tourists with more than 1.8 million visitors in 2006, followed by China with 1.0 million. Malaysians also made up 996,000 of the visitors.

o For hotels, the average occupancy rate between for the whole year was 86%

compared to 84% in 2005, resulting in a 1.4% growth.o Room rates broke 10 year records to reach a high of S$164 last year as compared

to $137 in 2005, resulting in a 19.6% growth last year as compared to 2005.o In 2006, total room revenue, visitor day and revenue per available room was $1.5

billion, $32.9 million and $140 respectively. All three sectors had achieved substantial growth as compared to Year 2005.

o In 2007, the state achieved 10.3 million visitor arrivals.

o By 2015 the ambitious Tourism 2015 blueprint aims to increase visitors arrivals to

17 million and raise tourism receipts to S$30 billion.

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General Trends

Year Tourism Arrivals Percentage change from previous period

1965 99,000

1970 579,000 488.1%

1975 1,324,000 128.6%

1980 2,562,000 93.5%

1985 3,031,000 18.3%

1990 5,323,000 75.6%

1995 7,137,000 34.1%

2000 7,691,399 7.8%

2005  8,942,408 7.4%

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 20050

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

8,000,000

9,000,000

10,000,000

Tourist Arrived

Tourist Arrived

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Recent Years

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

-30.00%

-20.00%

-10.00%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

Percentage Change From Previous Year

Percentage Change From Previous Year

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Year Tourism Arrivals Percentage change from previous year

1997 7,197,871 -1.30

1998 6,242,152 -13.28%

1999 6,958,201 11.47%

2000 7,691,399 10.54%

2001 7,522,163 -2.20%

2002 7,567,110 0.60%

2003 6,126,569 -19.04%

2004 8,328,118 35.92%

2005  8,942,408 7.4%

2006 9,748,207 9.0%

2007 10,284,545 5.5%

2008  10,115,638 -1.6%

Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore, tasked to promote the country's tourism industry. The board was first established in 1964 and was called the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board. In that year, there were 91,000 visitors. The primary task of STPB was to coordinate the efforts of hotels, airlines and travel agents to develop the fledging tourism industry of the country.

Later, STPB began to initiate new marketing ideas to promote Singapore's image aboard. The board created the Merlion, a symbol based on a Singapore mythical legend, that became an icon of the Singapore destination. The board also has been providing travel agent licensing and tourist guide training.

STPB actively promotes the development of infrastructure, including the building of hotels and tourist attractions such as the Jurong Bird Park and Sentosa which now becomes a popupar resort island for both tourists and local visitors. The board also market the city as a convention venue and organised events to attract visitors.

In the 1980s, several historic and cultural significant areas such as the Chinatown, Little India and Arab Street were earmarked for preservation. These places express Singapore's cultural diversity and became popular tourist destinations. The Singapore River underwent a major cleanup program and the areas along the river were developed for restaurants and other tourists amenities.

The board was renamed as Singapore Tourism Board in 1997. The board now oversees all aspects of tourism, including resource allocation and long-term strategic planning. It establishes offices around the globe to actively market the Singapore destination.

Growth Singapore tourism industry has grown rapidly since STPB was set up. In 2004, there were 8 million visitors. On 11 January 2005, Minister for Trade and Industry unveiled the Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) bold targets to doubling visitor arrivals to 17 million by 2015, see details here Tourism 2015.

In March 2010, the STB projected a 20-30% increase in visitor arrivals for the year. 2010 will see the much awaited opening of both the Marina Bay Sands and the Resorts World Sentosa. This will coincide with other key events such as the Singtel Singapore Formula One Grand Prix and the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. These

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offerings are expected to enhance Singapore’s status as a dynamic global city and increase visitor arrivals. However, the changes in Singapore's landscape will continue beyond 2010. New developments such as the International Cruise Terminal, Gardens by the Bay and Changi Motor Sports Hub are expected to be unveiled in the coming years.

Branding

The STB also announced that it will be adopting a new destination branding strategy. In line with the emphasis on redesigning the tourism experience, the STB launched the evolved destination brand, YourSingapore. YourSingapore is centered on the concentration of experiences available in Singapore and seeks to enable travellers to personalize their visit according to their preferences. The YourSingapore website is an "innovative and intelligent platform" that invites visitors to make their virtual experience in Singapore a reality. The user-friendly website allows users to easily conceptualize and plan their individual itineraries.

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Singapore AttractionsAttractions in Singapore are extremely diverse. From the sober

architecture of the city-state's religious edifices to

the swirling and

colourful markets to

unique entertainment features

such as the Singapore Flyer you'll see that Singapore doesn't do things by halves.

And there's plenty of Mother Nature to appreciate as Singapore sensibly has still kept its 'lungs' in the form of wildlife parks and sancturies. The city's rich culture and heritage is seen through the prism of its

impressive and striking architecture and the mix of a successful and busy modern-day city and an Asian hub of attractions is a unique and refreshing one.

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Marina Bay Sands:

Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands, it is billed as the world's most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion, including cost of the prime land.

With the casino complete, the resort features a 2,561-room hotel, a 120,000 sq.m. convention-exhibition centre, The Shoppes mall, an Art & Science museum, two Sands Theatres, seven "celebrity chef" restaurants, two floating pavilions, a casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines. The complex is topped by a 340m-long SkyPark with a capacity of 3,900 people and a 150m infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world's largest public cantilevered platform, which overhangs the north tower by 67m. The 20-hectare resort was designed by Moshe Safdie Architects. The local architect of record was Aedas Singapore, and engineering was provided by Arupand Parsons Brinkerhoff (MEP). The main contractor was SsangYong Engineering and Construction.

Originally set to open in 2009, Las Vegas Sands faced delays caused by escalating costs of material and labour shortages from the onset. The severe global financial crisis also pressured the company to delay its projects elsewhere to complete the integrated resort. Although Marina Bay Sands has been compared on scale and development costs to MGM's CityCenter, the latter is a mixed-use development, with

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condominium properties - comprising three of the seven main structures, being sold off.

The resort was officially opened with a two-day celebration on 23 June 2010 at 3.18 pm, after a partial opening which included the casino on 27 April 2010. It was, however, not finished at the time of the April opening, which was marked by numerous service failures. The SkyPark opened a day later on 24 June 2010. The theatres were completed in time for the first performance by Riverdance on 30 November 2010. The floating pavilions are still being built and are expected to be fully completed by 2011. The indoor skating rink, which uses artificial ice, opened to a performance by Michelle Kwan on 18 December 2010. The ArtScience Museum opened to the public and the debut of a 13-minute light, laser and water spectacle called Wonder Full on 19 February 2011 marked the full completion of the entire Integrated Resort.

The grand opening of Marina Bay Sands was held on 17 February 2011. It marks the opening of the ArtScience museum, the Wonder Full Light and Water Spectacular laser show, seven celebrity chef restaurants, and the highly-anticipated Broadway musical, The Lion King, which debuts on 3 March 2011.

o Background

Marina Bay Sands is one of two winning proposals for Singapore's first Integrated Resorts, the other being the Resorts World Sentosa, which incorporates a family-friendly Universal Studios Theme Park. The two large-scale resorts were conceived to meet Singapore's economic and tourism objectives for the next decade and they will have 30-year casino licenses, exclusive for the first ten years.

Bidders were assessed based on four criteria:

tourism appeal and contribution

architectural concept and design

development investment

strength of the consortium and partners

On 27 May 2006, Las Vegas Sands (LVS) was declared winner of the Marina Bay site in the prime new business district of Marina South with its business-oriented resort. LVS highlighted its forte in Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions (MICE), of which its founder,Sheldon Adelson,

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is a pioneer in Las Vegas and the key to his early business success. In the Design Evaluation portion of the tender, a panel of local and international architects commended Sands' design as superior to other bids in terms of pedestrian circulation and layout, and it also fit in with the Marina Bay landscape best. They liked that the hotel towers was set back from the waterfront to open up expansive views of the city and the entire Marina Bay, making the skyline for Singapore's downtown more attractive and distinctive.

Singapore Tourism Board highlighted Sands' line-up of six celebrity chefs, such as Australia's Tetsuya Wakuda and Thomas Keller (Napa Valley, California, USA) and Charlie Trotter (Chicago, USA).

LVS submitted its winning bid on its own. Its original partner City Developments Limited (CDL), with a proposed 15 per cent equity stake, pulled out of the partnership in the second phase of the tender process. CDL's CEO, Kwek Leng Beng said his company's pullout was a combination of factors - such as difficulties in getting numerous companies he owns to comply in time, as well as reluctance of some parties to disclose certain private information in probity checks required by the Singapore government.

However, Kwek was retained as an advisor for Sands' bid.

o Investment

Las Vegas Sands initially committed to invest S$3.85 billion in the project, not including the fixed S$1.2 billion cost of the 6,000,000 square feet (560,000 m2) site itself. With the escalating costs of materials, such as sand and steel, and labour shortages owing to other major infrastructure and property development in the country, Sheldon Adelson place the total cost of the development at S$8.0 billion as of July 2009.

Las Vegas Sands declared the undertaking as "one of the world's most challenging construction projects and certainly the most expensive stand-alone integrated resort property ever built". It expects the casino to generate at least $1 billion in annual profit. Two months after the initial phased opening, the casino attracts around 25,000 visitors daily, about a third being Singaporeans and permanent residents who pay a $100 daily entry levy or $2,000 for annual unlimited access. Half a million gamblers passed through the casino in June 2010.

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For the economy, Marina Bay Sands is projected to stimulate an addition of $2.7 billion or 0.8 per cent to Singapore's Gross Domestic Product by 2015, employing 10,000 people directly and 20,000 jobs being created in other industries.

The resort is designed by Moshe Safdie, who says it was initially inspired by card decks. In addition to the casino, other key components of the plan are three hotel towers with 2,500 rooms and suites, a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) ArtScience Museum and a convention centre with 1,200,000 square feet (111,000 m2) of space, capable of accommodating up to 45,000 people. The resort's architecture and major design changes along the way were also approved by its feng shui consultants, the late Master Chong Swan Lek and Master Louisa Ong-Lee.

o Opening

Marina Bay Sands was originally planned to be completed in a single phase in 2009, but rising construction costs and the financial crisis forced the company to open it in phases. The first phase's preview opening was further delayed until 27 April 2010, and the grand opening was pushed back to 23 June 2010. The rest of the complex remain under construction and will not be completed before 2011.

On 27 April 2010, Marina Bay Sands had the first of a planned 3 to 4 phase openings. The casino, parts of the conference hall, a segment of the Shoppes, 963 hotel rooms and the event plaza were opened at the auspicious time of 3:18 p.m as part of the "preview opening".

The Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) held the first conference at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre on 2–5 May 2010, but the event was marred by uncompleted facilities and a power failure during a speech. IPBA withheld

29

payment of S$300,000 and was consequently sued by Marina Bay Sands. In June IPBA counter-sued, describing the venue as a "complete disaster" and that its earlier payments had been imposed by "duress, fear and force". An "amicable settlement" with undisclosed terms was announced in August.

On 23 June 2010, the resort had its official opening with a "2-day celebration"; this includes the Sands SkyPark, the Event Plaza along Marina Bay, more shops, additional dining options and nightlife offerings, and the rest of the hotel rooms. First day events included - a "World Championship Climb" on the glass facade of the building to the SkyPark, with 7 teams of 21 top rock climbers from around the world competing, and an evening concert for 4,000 invited guests and customers, featuring Diana Ross, Kelly Rowland, JJ Lin among others. The SkyPark was opened on the second day at 2 pm, with about 2,000 adult tickets costing S$20 each sold.

The two Sands theatres were completed in time for the first performance by Riverdance on November 30, 2010. The ArtScience Museum opened its doors to the public at 10 am on February 19, 2011. The highly anticipated permanent musical The Lion King will debut on March 3, 2011.

o Attractions

Marina Bay Sands features three 55-storey hotel towers which were topped out in July 2009. The three towers are connected by a 1 hectare sky terrace on the roof, named Sands SkyPark.

In front of the three towers include a Theatre Block, a Convention and Exhibition Facilities Block, as well as the Casino Block, which have up to 1000 gaming tables and 1400 slot machines. The ArtScience Museum is constructed next to the three blocks and has the shape of a lotus. Its roof will be retractable, providing a waterfall through the roof of collected rainwater when closed in the day and with laser shows when opened at night. In front of the Event Plaza is the Wonder Full show, a light and water spectacular that is the largest in Southeast Asia. TheArtScience Museum and Wonder Full show opened on 17 February 2011.

The SkyPark is home to the world's longest elevated swimming pool, with a 146-metre (478-foot) vanishing edge, perched 191 metres above the ground. The pools are made up of 422,000 pounds of stainless steel and can hold

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376,500 gallons (1424 cubic metres) of water. The SkyPark also boasts rooftop restaurants, nightclubs, gardens hundreds of trees and plants and a public observatory with 360-degree views of the Singapore skyline.

There are four movement joints beneath the main pools, designed to help them withstand the natural motion of the towers, and each joint has a unique range of motion. The total range of motion is 500 millimetres (19.68 inches). In addition to wind, the hotel towers are also subject to settlement in the earth over time, so engineers built and installed custom jack legs to allow for future adjustment at more than 500 points beneath the pool system. This jacking system is important primarily to ensure the infinity edge of the pool continues to function properly.

Moshe Safdie designed an Art Path within the resort, incorporating seven installations by five artists including Zheng Chongbin, Antony Gormley, and Sol Lewitt. The pieces are meant to play on environmental influences including light, water and wind, integrating art with architecture.

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Singapore Flyer:

The Singapore Flyer is currently the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. Described by its operators as an observation wheel, it reaches 42 stories high, with a total height of 165 m (541 ft), and is 5 m (16 ft) taller than the Star of Nanchang and 30 m (98 ft) taller than theLondon Eye.

Located in Singapore, on the southeast tip of the Marina Centre reclaimed land, it comprises a 150 m (492 ft) diameter wheel, built over a three-story terminal building which houses shops, bars and restaurants, and offers broad views of the city centre and beyond to about 45 km (28 mi), including the Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan, as well as Johor, Malaysia.

The final capsule was installed on 2 October 2007, the wheel started rotating on 11 February 2008 and it officially opened to the public on 1 March 2008. Tickets for rides on the first 3 nights were sold out for S$8,888 (US$6,271), an auspicious

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number in Chinese culture. The grand opening for the Flyer was held on 15 April 2008.

Each of the 28 air-conditioned capsules is capable of holding 28 passengers, and a complete rotation of the wheel takes approximately 37 minutes. Initially rotating in a counter-clockwise direction when viewed from Marina Centre, its direction was changed on 4 August 2008 under the advice of Feng shui masters.

o Design

The development has a gross building area of approximately 16,000 m2 (172,000 sq ft), built on a 33,700 m2 (362,700 sq ft) site along the Marina Promenade. Designed by Arup and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with a capacity of up to 7.3 million passengers a year, the normally constant rotation of the wheel means that a complete trip lasts approximately 30 minutes.

The wheel features 28 air-conditioned capsules which, like those of the London Eye, are exo-capsules attached outward of the wheel structure. These offer the advantage of a continuously unobstructed view when the capsule is at the peak, unlike the more common endo-capsule design of most wheels (e.g. Star of Nanchang). Each capsule has a floor area of 26 m2 (280 sq ft) and is capable of holding 28 passengers, or up to five wheelchairs and 15 other visitors when booked in advance for use by disabled guests.

The terminal building on which the wheel sits on comprises three floors of commercial space, with an adjacent open air Greek-inspired theatre along the waterfront and complimented by a jetty. The site is beautified by luxurious landscaping, including roof gardens and a recreated rainforest in the terminal's atrium. An open bus park for 40 buses is located behind the building, and connected by an underpass to a covered multi-storey carpark for 300 vehicles. This carpark in turn has direct links to the underground Promenade MRT Station which is opened on 17 April 2010.

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Visitors can take a free shuttle bus from the City Hall MRT Station which operates on a half-hour basis to and from the Singapore Flyer every day.

Wheelchair ramps and lifts, handicapped toilets, and a dedicated parking lot for the disabled are also provided.

o Operations

The attraction was expected to draw about 2.5 million visitors in its first year of operation, giving investors a net yield of about 13.4%. About 50% of visitors were expected to be foreign tourists, helping to generate about S$94 million in tourism receipts in its opening year. The expected visitorship figure was deemed ambitious by some however, but the STB and the wheel's investors were upbeat over its long-term prospects.

Adval Brand Group, its master ticketing distributor, guaranteed a minimum of 8 million euros in ticket receipts per year for its investors, which was based on an annual visitorship of 600,000

o Pricing

Adult Child Senior

Singapore Flight S$29.50S$20.65

S$23.69

Full Butler Sky Dining from S$249 per couple

VIP Signature Cocktail Flight S$69.00S$48.30

S$55.20

Moët & Chandon Champagne Flight - S$69.00 -

Express Boarding Flight S$52.00 S$36.40 S$41.60

o Breakdown

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The Flyer has suffered several breakdowns:

In July 2008 the Flyer was stopped because of a minor fault in the braking system.

On 4 December 2008, the wheel was stuck for nearly five hours due to bad weather and some 70 people were stranded.

On 23 December 2008, the wheel stopped moving and trapped 173 passengers for about six hours. The breakdown was caused by a short circuit and fire in the Flyer's wheel control room, which cut off the air-conditioning in the wheel. Eleven passengers were evacuated via a sling-like device from a few of the capsules, and those stranded were given food and drink. The wheel restarted nearly seven hours after it had stopped and two people were hospitalized. The Flyer was closed indefinitely and an investigation into the cause of the malfunction was launched. The wheel re-opened on 26 January 2009 after the Singapore Police received the final safety certification report from the Comformity Assessment Board. Following this breakdown, additional back-up systems costing about S$3 million were installed. These included a generator, winches, three anti-fire and smoke systems, and heat detection devices.

At 1 pm on 18 July 2010, the ride was shut after one of its electrical cables supplying power to the air-conditioning systems was struck by lightning, affecting the air-conditioning system. Thereafter, the management evacuated the some 200 passengers and stopped the wheel. The Flyer was re-opened on 20 July 2010 at 2 pm after repair works were completed.

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Universal Studios Singapore

Universal Studios Singapore is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island, Singapore. It was a key component of Genting's bid for the right to build Singapore's second integrated resort. On 8 December 2006, the Singapore government announced that the consortium had won the bid. Construction of the theme park and the rest of the resort started on 19 April 2007. It is the second Universal Studios theme park to open in Asia (Japan being the first), and the first in Southeast Asia. The official plans for the park were unveiled to the public when Universal Studios Singapore released a park map to the public on 20 October 2009. Universal Studios Singapore has since attracted more than 2 million visitors in the 9 months from its opening.

Universal Parks & Resorts markets the park as a "one-of-its-kind theme park in Asia" and promises that the park will be the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia for the next 30 years.

o History

Park History

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Construction of Resorts World Sentosa, and Universal Studios Singapore began on 19 April 2007. After almost three years of construction, the park opened on 18 March 2010.

Universal Studios Singapore was opened for sneak peek week in view of the Chinese New Year Celebrations, from 5 pm to 9 pm every night between 14 to 21 February 2010. Though visitors had to pay SGD$10 to enter the park despite rides not operating, tickets for the week were sold out in 2 days. On 5 March 2010, it was announced that the park will open its doors on 8:28 am (UTC+8) 18 March 2010, for a soft-opening phase. From 13 March 2010, the team members of Resorts World Sentosa and their families had a chance to visit the park before the public has a chance to do so. The park had its soft opening period from 18 March 2010 to 26 October 2010.

Timeline 21 October 2008 - Transformers The Ride was announced to be

a part of the lineup of attractions at Universal Studios Singapore and is set to open in 2011.

24 September 2009 - Universal Studios Singapore unveiled their plans for Shrek's Far Far Away and Madagascar theme zones.

20 October 2009 - Resorts World at Sentosa unveiled the attractions, dining options and merchandise outlets at Universal Studios Singapore.

14 February 2010 - The start of the eight-day sneak-peek period of Universal Studios Singapore.

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18 March 2010 - The soft-opening of Universal Studios

Singapore, with 16 of its 24 attractions opened and fully-functioning.

25 March 2010 - The Battlestar Galactica dueling coasters were closed due to a technical glitch in the ride. Both rides remain closed for many weeks thereafter.

20 August 2010 - X-ray findings reveal cracks in the welded joint of the seat-post supports within the Human roller coaster car, which caused the grounding of both roller coaster rides.

2 July 2010 - The premiering of the Lake Hollywood Spectacular show, which is presented to park visitors every Friday and Saturday nights.

21 December 2010 - The Battlestar Galactica dueling coasters entered their final testing stage with newly-reinforced coaster cars for both the Human and Cylon coasters. Both rides are slated to re-open in the first-half of 2011.

21 February 2011 - The scheduled re-opening of the Battlestar Galactica dueling coasters.

Spring/Summer 2011 - The scheduled opening of Madagascar: A Crate Adventure.

Autumn 2011 - The scheduled opening of Transformers The Ride in Universal Studios Singapore.

Winter/Autumn 2012 - The scheduled opening of Stage 28 and another 4 new attractions.

o Park Layout

Universal Studios Singapore is 20 hectares (49 acres) in size, occupying the

easternmost part of the 49-hectare (120-acre) Resorts World Sentosa. There

are a total of 24 attractions, of which 18 are original or specially adapted for

the park. The park consists of seven uniquely themed zones which surround

a lagoon. Each zone is based on a blockbuster movie or a television show,

featuring their own unique attractions, character appearances, dining and

shopping areas. The park features the world's tallest pair of dueling roller

coasters that are based on the hit television series, Battlestar Galactica; a castle

from the world of Shrek and Monster Rock, a live musical show featuring the

infamous Universal Monsters. Universal Studios Singapore has over 30

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restaurants and food carts, together with 20 unique retail stores and carts

located around the park. Attractions premiering are marked "Premiere" and

dining outlets that are certified Halal are marked with "Halal".

Themed Zone Note

Hollywood Themed after the real Hollywood Boulevard of the 1970s, the Hollywood zone is framed by dynamic architecture, palm trees and the famous Hollywood 'Walk of Fame'.

New York Themed after post-modern New York City that features sidewalks and classic landmarks that mimic its impressive cityscape. The area is enhanced by neon lights and flanked by street facades that set the scenes for big city fun and also real-time movie production for most Hollywood blockbuster films.

Sci-fi City Sci-Fi City is themed after what cities and metropolis may look like in the future, equipped with space-age technologies and the ultimate modern conveniences.

Ancient Egypt As the name suggests, the Ancient Egypt zone is themed after the rich Egyptian architecture and artifacts found during the Golden Age of Egyptian Exploration in the 1930s.

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The Lost World The Lost World zone features two smaller themed regions: Jurassic Park and Waterworld.

Far Far Away Far Far Away is based on the kingdom of the same name featured in DreamWorks Animations' Shrek.

Madagascar The Madagascar zone features a displaced cargo ship that houses the Madagascar: A Crate Adventure ride. It also features all of the characters from DreamWorks Animations' Madagascar.

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Sentosa

Sentosa, which translates to peace and tranquility in Malay, is a popular island resort in Singapore, visited by some five million people a year.[1] Attractions include a two-kilometre long sheltered beach, Fort Siloso, two golf courses and two five-star hotels, and the Resorts World Sentosa, featuring the theme park Universal Studios Singapore.

Sentosa was once known as Pulau Blakang Mati which in Malay means the "Island (pulau) of Death (mati) from Behind (blakang)". The island was renamed "Sentosa" in 1972, which means peace and tranquillity in Malay, from a suggestion by the public. The Sentosa Development Corporation was formed and incorporated on 1 September 1972 to oversee the development of the island. Since then, some S$420 million of private capital and another S$500 million of government funds have been invested to develop the island.

In 1974 the Singapore Cable Car system was built, linking Sentosa to Mount Faber.

 A series of attractions were subsequently opened for visitors including Fort Siloso, Surrender Chamber wax museum, Musical Fountain, and the Underwater World. The causeway bridge was opened in 1992 connecting Sentosa to the mainland.

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The Sentosa Monorail system was opened in 1982 to transport visitors to various stations located around the island. On 16 March 2005, the monorail service was discontinued to make way for the new Sentosa Express, which commenced operations on 15 January 2007. An environmental assessment conducted by the government of Singapore concluded that the construction of the resorts on Sentosa would to result in high likelihood of high scale biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, soil erosion and climate change, as well as several other destructive ecological impacts.

In 2009, construction of a new foot bridge began. The S$70 million Sentosa Boardwalk includes themed gardens, shops and eateries. There are covered walkways and travellators along the boardwalk for rainy days. The boardwalk, officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on 29 January 2011, will provide visitors an alternative mode of travel to reach the island.

o Geography

The island has an area of 5 square kilometres. It lies just half a kilometre (a quarter of a mile) away from the southern coast of the main island of Singapore. It is Singapore's fourth largest island (excluding the main island). 70% of the island is covered by secondary rainforest, the habitat of monitor lizards, monkeys,peacocks, parrots as well as other native fauna and flora. The island also has 3.2 kilometre stretch of white sand beach. Significantly large portions of land are currently being added to Sentosa due toland reclamation.

o Attractions

Tiger Sky Tower

The Tiger Sky Tower (previously known as the Carlsberg Sky Tower) is free-standing observation tower on Sentosa. At a height of 110 metres above ground and 131 metres above sea level, it offers visitors a panoramic view of Sentosa, Singapore, and the Southern Islands. On a clear day, the view extends to parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. At ground level, visitors enter a large disc-shaped airconditioned cabin fitted with glass windows all round. The cabin then revolves slowly as it ascends the column of the tower. The cabin has a capacity of 72 visitors.

The Sky Tower used to sit at the very spot of what was formerly known as the "Dragon Court".It has a dragon statue in the centerpiece with water spouting out from its mouth.In one of its claws ,it holds a previous logo of Sentosa which was used in the 1970s. Its tail ends at

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the dragon trail at the northern part of Siloso point,until today, vistors at the dragon trail are stumbled at where a missing tail (Dragon's tail) leads too .It was demolished a few months before the groundbreaking ceromony of the sky tower.It was opened on 7 February 2004, is situated in the Imbiah Lookout zone in the centre of Sentosa and can be reached by Cable Car, Sentosa Luge Chair Lift, by Sentosa Express or by bus.

Butterfly Park and Insect KingdomThe Butterfly Park is a landscape garden with over 15,000 live butterflies, representing more than fifty species. Housed in a cool outdoor conservatory, these butterflies range from the 25 millimetre (1 in) Eurema sari to the 150 mm (6 in) Papilio iswara.

The Insect Kingdom houses some 3,000 species of rare insects from around the world, including a 160 mm Dynastes Hercules beetle.

Underwater World and Dolphin LagoonUnderwater World is an oceanarium located on the western part of Sentosa. Opened in 1991, the living museum has more than 2,500 marine and fresh-water animals of 250 species from different regions of the world. The oceanarium is underground and has an 83 metre long travelator that moves visitors along a submerged glass-windowed tunnel from which they can look at an array of marine life including a coral reef, stringrays, moray eels, turtles, sharks, and other fishes. In the 'Dive-with-the-Sharks' program visitors can scuba dive in the large oceanarium, even if they are not scuba qualified. Qualified scuba divers can also 'Dive-with-the-Dugong".

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The Underwater World also includes a Dolphin Lagoon which is home to some Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, also known as the pink dolphins. Several "Meet-the-Dolphins" sessions are held daily to allow visitors to enter the waist-deep pool and interact with the dolphins at close proximity. A more involved "Swim-with-the-Dolphins' program, where visitors can interact extensively with the dolphins, is also available.

Songs of the SeaDesigned by Yves Pepin, the Songs of the Sea show, started on 26 March 2007, replacing the 25-year-old Magical Sentosa show. The Malay Kampung by the Sea or more commonly known as a Kelong, is 120 meteres long while the rest of the equipment (water jets, water screens, lasers and projectors) is hidden at the back of the kelong. It features pyrotechnics displays, water jets, laser show and flame bursts a live cast and an open-air viewing gallery which can comfortably accommodate 2,500 visitors. The show runs twice nightly.

Sentosa 4D MagixThe Sentosa 4D Magix is Singapore's first and Southeast Asia's original 4-dimensional theatre. Opened in January 2006 at the cost of S$3.5 million, the theatre is equipped with digital projection and a DTS 6.1 sound system. Guests are seated on a motion based chair in a typical movie theatre watching a 3D show with visual effects popping out of the screen coupled with environmental effects providing a life-like feel. The current show is the 'Pirates!' in 4D comedy, as offered in other theme parks around the world.

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Sentosa CineBlast

Opened in June 2007, Cineblast, which replaced Cinemania, is Singapore's only cinema ride. It features high definition wide-screen projection and a 6 axis motion system, and takes visitors on a log ride.

Fort SilosoIn the west of the island stand the guns of preserved Fort Siloso which guarded the western approaches to Singapore during World War II. Fort Siloso was built by the British in 1880s to guard the narrow western entrance to Keppel Harbour. It was later modernised and by 1939 was armed with two 6-inch (150 mm) Mark2 guns and two rapid firing 12-pounder guns. Fort Siloso is now the only surviving coastal gun battery from the twelve such batteries that made up Fortress Singapore at the start of the war.

The ammunition bunkers, barracks, tunnels, and gun emplacements of the fort are now open to visitors, as a military-themed attraction. Also on display is a collection of artillery guns dating from the 17th century to World War II. Life-sized replicas of British soldiers and other people were on display to depict lives at the fort in the past. There is also an exhibition with a large collection of photographs, documents and film clips.

The fort served as the place of internment of the Singaporean political prisoner Chia Thye Poh in the period from 1989 to 1993.

Other attractions

MegaZip Adventure Park: Located at the top of Imbiah Hill, MegaZip Adventure Park is Singapore's first adventure park with one of the longest and steepest zip wires in Asia, a 12m high ropes course, a free-fall parachute simulator and a challenging climbing wall.

Azzura Beach Club: The Azzura Beach Club is a 2-level entertainment, dining and hydro sports facility. Some of the *Wave House Sentosa: Located at Siloso Beach, the 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m2) Wave House consists of the Double FlowRider and the 10-foot (3.0 m) FlowBarrel, Singapore's first artificial barreling wave.

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The Sentosa Luge & Skyride has a self-steering, gravity-driven

three-wheel cart. Originally from New Zealand, the non-motorised cart allows rider to speed down a hill over a course of 650 m ending at the Siloso Beach. At the end of the luge, there is the Skyride that can allow rider to see from a high view. It also can be boarded at the start of the Luge.

The Flying Trapeze

Gogreen Segway Eco Adventure: The Segway Eco Adventure is Asia's first and only Segway Eco Ride.

o Beaches

Sentosa has a stretch of sheltered beach of more than two kilometres in length on its southern coast, divided into three portions: Palawan Beach, Siloso Beach, and Tanjong Beach. These beaches are artificial, reclaimed using sand bought from Indonesia and Malaysia. They are manned by the best beach patrol lifeguard team in Singapore. The lifeguards wear red and yellow uniforms and patrols the beaches of Sentosa.

Palawan Beach

Palawan Beach lies in the centre of the southern coast of Sentosa. There is a suspension bridge that leads to a small islet off the coast which is said to be the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia, or Asia's closest point to the Equator. However, inspection of any map, even those on Sentosa, show that this cannot be the case.

There are several bars along the beach offering food and beverage to visitors as well as Beach Station of Sentosa Express.

Siloso Beach

Siloso Beach lies on the west portion of the southern coast and it is known as the place for beach volleyball and other outdoor activities such as canoeing, skim boarding, mountain biking or rollerblading. There are also dining and shopping outlets along the beach. The 

Tanjong Beach

Tanjong Beach is a relatively more secluded part of the southern coast. The crescent-shaped beach is sometimes used for special events or parties. The beach bar 'KM8' is located at the beach. KM8 had it`s last party and closed down on 28 March 2009.

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Resort World Sentosa

Resorts World Sentosa is an integrated resort on the island of Sentosa, off the southern coast of Singapore. The key attractions include one of Singapore's two casinos, a Universal Studios theme park and Marine Life Park, which includes the world's largest oceanarium.

The S$6.59 billion (US$4.93 billion) resort is developed by Genting Singapore, listed on the SGX. It is one of the world's most expensive casino properties, after Marina Bay Sands. The resort occupies over 49 hectares (121 acres) of land and, when fully open, will employ more than 10,000 people directly.

The soft launch of the first four hotels took place on 20 January 2010, with the FestiveWalk shopping mall following on February 1. The casino opened on 14 February the first auspicious day of the Chinese New Year. The Marine Life Park and Maritime Xperiential Museum is expected to be completed by end of 2011. Resorts World Sentosa is also expected to hold large-scale exhibitions such as Valentino, Retrospective: Past/Present/Future.

o Resort Layout

The resort was designed primarily by American architect Michael Graves. Six hotels offer a total of 1,840 rooms for accommodation. Each hotel is designed

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with a different theme, catering to both the leisure and business visitors. The resort is split into west, central and east zones.

Hotels

The resort has six hotels with 1,800 rooms.

Crockfords Tower, formerly planned to be named,Maxims Tower, is an 11-storey all-suite hotel overlooking the Singapore harbour and the Southern Islands. The resort's casino is located beneath the tower. The hotel was topped-out on 27 February 2009 and opened on 20 January 2010.

Hotel Michael is a 11-storey boutique hotel named after Michael Graves.[19] Hotel Michael topped-out on 15 July 2009 and was opened on 20 January 2010.

Festive Hotel is a family-oriented hotel next to Crockfords Tower and Festive Walk. Beneath the hotel is Festive Grand, a 1,600 seat plenary hall which will host Resorts World Sentosa's resident musical Voyage de la Vie.

The Hard Rock Hotel Singapore is the site of meeting and conference facilities, and indoor exhibition space. This includes 26 differently-designed function rooms and one of Asia's largest ballrooms with seating for 7,300 guests. Construction of Singapore's first Hard Rock Hotel started in May 2008, and the hotel opened on 20 January 2010.

Casino

The casino, capped at 15,000 sq.m. by regulation, is located beneath Crockfords Tower. Government regulations also require Singapore

citizens and permanent residents to purchase a S$100 day pass or

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S$2000 yearly membership for access into the casino. Singaporean patrons can enter/leave the casino freely so long that their levy has not expired. Both types of entry levy - daily or yearly - admits the patron to only one casino.

The Casino Levy money is collected by the Singapore Totalisator Board controlled by the Government, and is used for public and charity causes. The Casino does not keep any part of the levy money.

Fine Dining

Chinois by Susur Lee - Chinese cuisine

Joël Robuchon Restaurant by Joël Robuchon - French haute cuisine (opening soon)

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon by Joël Robuchon - Contemporary French cuisine (opening soon)

The Pastry Shop & Lounge by Joël Robuchon - French patisserie (opening soon)

Kunio by Kunio Tokuoka - Japanese kaiseki cuisine

Osia by Scott Webster - Modern Australian cuisine

Casual Dining

Fiesta at Festive Hotel - Brazilian cuisine

Palio at Hotel Michael - Italian cuisine

Rang Mahal Pavilion at Hard Rock Hotel - Indian cuisine

Starz Restaurant at Hard Rock Hotel - Western & Asian Buffet

Shows

Voyage de le Vie is the first permanent production show to open at Resorts World Sentosa. This resident rock musical is set in the Festive Grand Theatre with a capacity of 1,600 people. The production was created by Mark Fisher.

Martial Combat, Asia's largest mixed martial arts fighting championship, is staged over six months each year at the Compass Ballroom, and broadcast by ESPN STAR Sports.

Crane Dance is a multimedia moving art installation with choreographed animatronic cranes built over the sea, and designed by Jeremy Railton. It opened on 25 December 2010.

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Clarke Quay

Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay. Clarke Quay was named after Sir Andrew Clarke, Singapore's second Governor and Governor of the Straits Settlements from 1873 to 1875, who played a key role in positioning Singapore as the main port for the Malay states of Perak, Selangor and Sungei Ujong.

Clarke Quay is also the name of a road along the quay, part of which has since been converted into a pedestrian mall. Clarke Street, located next to Clarke Quay, was officially named in 1896, and was originally two streets known simply as East Street and West Street in north Kampong Malacca. Similar to Clarke Quay, Clarke Street has since been converted into a pedestrian mall.

o History

The Singapore River has been the centre of trade since modern Singapore was founded in 1819. During the colonial era, Boat Quay was thecommercial centre where barge lighters would transport goods upstream to warehouses at Clarke Quay.

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At the height of its prosperity, dozens of bumboats jostled for mooring space beside Clarke Quay. This continued well into the latter half of the twentieth century. By this time, the Singapore River had also become very polluted. The government decided to relocate cargo services to a new modern facility in Pasir Panjang. The bumboats and lorries departed to their new home and Clarke Quay fell silent.

The government then cleaned up the Singapore River and its environment from 1977 to 1987. Plans were made to revamp the area and turn it into a flourishing commercial, residential and entertainment precinct. These plans took into serious consideration the historical value of Clarke Quay, making it mandatory that new buildings complement the historical character of the area and that certain old buildings be restored.

Ten years later, works were commenced to revamp the Clarke Quay area in order to give the place a bettertenant mix. The development also saw major changes to the exterior and riverside areas. The Satay Club and a number of establishments vacated Clarke Quay to make way for new tenants. The upgraded Clarke Quay features the Zirca, The Clinic, Forbidden City by the Indochine Group and the whole development was completed in October 2006.

The Clarke Quay area at present, is drastically different from the preservation/conservation effort from 1993, resembling more like a Disneyland partyground for tourists and middle class locals alike.

o Today

Presently, five blocks of restored warehouses house various restaurants and nightclubs. There are also moored Chinese junks (tongkangs) that have been refurbished into floating pubs and restaurants. The Cannery is one of the anchor tenants of the place. With over 5 different concepts in one block, you'll be spoilt for options. Another anchor tenant, The Arena, will be home to Singapore's First Permanent Illusion Show (starting Aug 2008) starring J C Sum and 'Magic Babe' Ning.[1] The G-MAX reverse bungee, the first in Singapore, is located at the entrance which opened in November 2003.

Notable restaurants and nightclubs include Hooters and Indochine. River cruises and river taxies on the Singapore River can be accessed from Clarke Quay. One of its most popular attractions is its exciting host of CQ's signature events happening once every quarter.

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Jurong Bird Park

Jurong Bird Park , is a tourist attraction inSingapore managed by Wildlife Reserves Singapore. It is a landscaped park, built on the western slope of Jurong Hill. It is located within the Boon Lay Planning Area of the Jurong district and has an area of 202,000 square metres (50 acres).

The idea of a permanent bird exhibit was first conceived by late Dr Goh Keng Swee, the then Minister for Finance, in 1968. During aWorld Bank Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Dr Goh visited its zoological garden and was impressed with its free-flight aviary. He sought to see that Jurong would be more than an industrial zone that Singaporeans would have a place where they could escape from urban life, where people could relax with nature. On 3 January 1971, Jurong Bird Park, built at a cost of S$3.5 million, was opened to the public.

Jurong Bird Park is now a world-famous bird zoo wherein there are specimens of magnificent bird life from around the world, including a flock of one thousand and one flamingos. It is currently the world's largest bird park in terms of number of birds and second largest in terms of land area after Germany's Vogelpark Walsrode. There are 4,600 birds of 380 species in Jurong Bird Park. Of those, 29 are of endangered species.

In 2006, Jurong Bird Park completed its S$10-million makeover. With the upgrading, the park now boasts a new entrance plaza, anAfrican wetlands exhibit, a park-owned and

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managed Bongo Burgers restaurant, a Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlour, a ift shop and a birdhospital.

o Exhibits

Birds n Buddies Show: Formerly called the "All Star Birdshow"[, this birdshow showcases a large number of species of performing birds in a single act. Besides highlighting the antics of talented birds like the mimicking cockatoos, this show is also a window for visitors to the natural behaviour of birds like pelicans, flamingos and hornbills.

Birds of Prey Show: Visitors can watch birds of prey such as eagles, hawks and falcons, who will fly in aerial loops and soar above the treetops. Visitors will also learn about falconry as these birds are put through their actions in a simulated hunt.

African Wetlands:The new exhibit will give visitors a more balanced eco-system display and hopefully will be able to provide a better understanding of how nature, the birds and men co-exist in this one world we call our home. Species here include Shoebill stork, saddle-billed stork, and a few species of African fish.

African Waterfall Aviary: The African Waterfall Aviary is the world's largest walk-in aviary with more than 1,500 free-flying birds from over 50 species. Visitors may hop aboard the Panorail, the world's only monorail that runs through an aviary. Jurong Falls, which is located within the African Waterfall Aviary, is the world's tallest man-made waterfall in an aviary at 30 metres high. Species include golden-breasted starling, turacos, and the hoopoe.

Flightless Birds: in one corner of the zoo there is a section full of flightless birds. Ostriches, emus, rheas, and cassowaries are the residents of this exhibit.

Southeast Asian Birds Aviary: Visitors can view the largest collection of Southeast Asian birds, which has over 200 species. There are large, central walk-in aviary and peripheral aviaries that house the more delicate or territorial birds. A daily simulated mid-daythunderstorm is followed by a cool, light drizzle. Territorial species are kept in large cages, while species that can coexist with each other (Fruit doves and pigeons being an example)are left to fly free in the aviary.

Lory Loft covers 3,000 square metres (32,000 sq ft), is about 9 storeys high, and is the world's largest walk-in flight aviary for Lories and lorikeets, with over 1,000 free-flying lories. The ambience is similar to that of

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a rainforest vale in tropical Northern Australia. Visitors can offer the lories a special nectar mix and the birds will flock to them.

Penguin Coast houses six species of penguins within 1,600 square metres (17,000 sq ft). Featuring a 21-metre (69 ft) tall Portuguese galleon facade designed to resemble a ship, the interior of Penguin Coast is constructed with timber beams and wooden flooring. Penguin Coast is home to the Humboldt, Rockhopper, Macaroni, Fairy and King Penguins which live in an indoor, climate-controlled den as well as an outdoor penguin enclosure showcasing Jackass penguins, one of the few species that are adapted to the tropics. Joining them are the Cape Shelducks and gulls.

World of Darkness: Asia's first nocturnal bird house features a system of reverse lighting, converting day to night and vice versa. On display are 60 birds from 17 species, like the Night Herons, Fish Owls, boobook owls and Snowy Owls. It is akin to a quiet nocturnal walk along a starlit jungle path, watching birds in their nocturnal surroundings and hearing them beckon.

Pelican Cove: Visitors can catch a glimpse of all 7 species of pelicans, including the endangered Dalmatian Pelican. There is aboardwalk, where visitors can stroll along and observe these birds. Visitors can also see the pelicans at the world's first underwater viewing gallery for pelicans, where the birds scoop for fish at feeding time.

Lunch with the Birds: Visitors can enjoy a beautiful view of the Flamingo Lake while they enjoy breakfast.

Panorail: The Jurong Bird Park Panorail is the world's only monorail system that runs through an aviary. The panorail has three stations, namely Main Station, Lory Station and Waterfall Station.

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Night Safari

The Night Safari is the world's first nocturnal zoo and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Singapore.

The concept of a nocturnal park in Singapore was mooted in the 1980s by the former executive chairman of the Singapore Zoo, Dr Ong Swee Law. Constructed at a cost of S$63 million, the Night Safari was officially opened on 26 May 1994 and occupies 40 hectares (0.4 km²) of secondary rainforest adjacent to the Singapore Zoo and Upper Seletar Reservoir.

The Night Safari currently houses a total of 1,040 animals of 120 species, of which 29% are threatened species. The zoo is managed byWildlife Reserves Singapore, and about 1.1 million visitors visit the safari per year. The Night Safari received its 11 millionth visitor on 29 May 2007.

o Highlights

Unlike traditional nocturnal houses, which reverse the day-night cycle of animals so they will be active by day, the Night Safari is an entire open-air zoo set in a humid tropical forest that is only open at night. It is divided into eight geographical zones, which can be explored either on foot via three walking trails, or by tram.

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The animals of the Night Safari, ranging from Indian rhinoceros to tarsiers, are made visible by lighting that resembles moonlight. Although it is brighter than full moonlight by a few orders of magnitude, it is dim enough not to disturb nocturnal and crepuscular animals' behaviour. London based lighting designer Simon Corder created the lighting for Night Safari.

Exhibits in the safari come from South America and other parts

of Asia. The naturalistic enclosures simulate the animals' native habitat.

Animals are separated from visitors with natural

barriers, rather than caged, similar to the Singapore Zoo's open concept. Instead of verticalprison-like cages, cattle

grids were laid all over the park to prevent hoofed animals from moving one habitat to another. These are grille-like metal sheets with gaps wide enough for animals' legs to go through. Moats were designed to look like streams and rivers to enable fishing catsand servals to be put on show in open areas, and hot wires were designed to look like twigs to keep animals away from the boundaries of their enclosures.

Cultural performances are a regular feature at the safari, and includes, dances, blowpipe demonstrations and fire eating displays. Creatures of the Night Show is a performance presented by the animals in the Night Safari.

There are a number of food and beverage outlets in the Night Safari which include Ulu Ulu Safari Restaurant, Bongo Burgers, and Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop. Visitors can also experience dining on the move with the Cocktail Safari Express and Gourmet Safari Express.

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Singapore Grand Prix

The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race, currently in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held in the Marina Bay area of Singapore. Upon resurrection of the event in 2008, the first race at the Marina Bay location, which was also Formula One's first night race, was won by Spanish driver Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault F1 team.

Singapore's third Night Race was held in September 2010, in conjunction with a comprehensive 10-day entertainment schedule. Officially known as the Grand Prix Season Singapore 2010, which led up to the final race which included parties, race-themed events, music concerts, exhibitions and dining & shopping experiences.

o Origins

First organised in 1961, the race was initially known as the Orient Year Grand Prix. The following year, the race was renamed theMalaysian Grand Prix. After Singapore attained its independence in 1965, the race at the Thomson Road circuit was renamed to the Singapore Grand Prix. The event was discontinued after 1973 and a variety of reasons have been suggested, including an increase in traffic, the inconvenience of having to close roads for the event and fatal accidents during the 1972 and 1973 races. It is also thought that a surge of oil prices stemming from the Suez Crisis might have been to blame (although the 1973 oil crisis would probably be a more plausible reason than the 1956 Suez Crisis).

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o Formula One

An agreement for a five-year deal was signed by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the Singapore Tourism Board and Bernie Ecclestone. In November 2007 it was announced that the telecommunications company Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) would sponsor the event. The official name of the event will be theFORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix The race was co- funded by the Government of Singapore, footing 60% of the total bill, or $90 million SGD, out of a total tab of $150 million SGD.

Around 110,000 tickets were made available for the country's first Formula One race. Corporate hospitality suites and packages went on sale at the end November 2007, three- day passes to the public went on sale in February 2008. Single-day passes went on sale a month later. The event went on to achieve a full sell-out for all of its tickets.

The first race held at the new Marina Bay Street Circuit was the 15th round of

the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, and was also the first night-time event Formula

Onehistory. The timing of the night event meant that it could

be broadcast live at a convenient time for European TV audiences. The track was also illuminated by a

series of projectors which adapt their output to match the shape of the course. The race was won by Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault team, however that result has since been tarnished bycontroversy.

For the 2009 race, the circuit was reprofiled slightly, including modifications to turns 1, 2 and 3 to aid overtaking, and also at turn 10 where high kerbs caused many accidents in 2008.

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Singapore Zoo

The Singapore Zoo, formerly known as the Singapore Zoological Gardens and commonly known locally as the Mandai Zoo, occupies 28 hectares (0.28 km²) of land on the margins of Upper Seletar Reservoir withinSingapore's heavily forested central catchment area. The zoo was built at a cost of S$9m granted by the government of Singapore and opened on 23 June 1973. It is operated by Wildlife Reserves Singapore, who also manage the neighbouring Night Safari and the Jurong BirdPark. There are about 315 species of animal in the zoo, of which some 16% are considered threatened species. The zoo attracts about 1.6 million visitors a year.

From the beginning, Singapore Zoo followed the modern trend of displaying animals in naturalistic, 'open' exhibits, i.e. with hidden barriers, behind moats and shrubbery etc. It also houses the largest captive colony of orangutans in the world. In 1977,primatologist Dr Francine Neago lived inside a cage with eighteen orangutans for six months to study their behavior and communication.

Today, the zoo is a model of the 'open zoo' concept. The animals are kept in spacious, landscaped enclosures, separated from the visitors by either dry or wet moats. The moats are concealed with vegetation or dropped below the line of vision. In the case of dangerous animals which can climb very well, moat barriers are not used. Instead, these animals are housed in landscaped glass-fronted enclosures.

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The zoo has not expanded beyond the original 28 hectares. However, 40 hectares of secondary forest were later developed into the Night Safari. The remaining undeveloped land has been kept as wooded land. This and the waters of Upper Seletar Reservoir contribute to the Zoo, giving it a sense of natural, unrestricted space.

Among various attractions that the zoo offers,one highlight is the "Breakfast with an Orangutan" programme that allows visitors to meet and interact closely with the orangutans in the zoo, amongst which includes the famous primate matriarch Ah Meng, (died on February 8, 2008) who was an icon of the Singapore tourism industry. Animal shows, as well as token feedings coupled with live commentaries by keepers, are also the daily staple in the Singapore zoo.

o Education and conservation

The Wildlife Healthcare & Research Centre was opened in March 2006 as part of the zoo's efforts in wildlife conservation. The centre further underscores Singapore Zoo and Night Safari’s commitment to conservation research, providing the infrastructure for the parks and overseas zoological partners to better execute their research programmes.

The zoo also embarked on various rescue and conservation efforts to protect wildlife.

o Rides

The zoo also offers various modes of rides available within the premises: trams, animals, boat, pony and horse carriage rides. Additional modes of transportation which can only be rented include: strollers, wagon and wheelchairs.

o Shows

At present, the zoo holds four shows. The "Rainforest Fights Back" show is housed in the Shaw Amphitheatre, the main amphitheatre within the zoo. Actors and performers act alongside the animals: in-show, a villainous poacher attempts to mow down a section of tropical rainforestfor land development, and is foiled by the native people and the animals of the rainforest (orang-utans, lemurs, pea-fowls, otters and cockatiels).

The "Elephants at Work and Play" show demonstrates how elephants are used as beasts of burden in south-east Asian countries. The animal caretakers are referred

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to as mahouts, and the show simulates how a mahout would instruct an elephant to transport logs or kneel down so that they can be mounted.

The "Splash Safari" show showcases the zoo's aquatic mammals and birds. Seals and sealions perform tricks and pelicans demonstrate how they catch fish in their beaks, while manatees swim in the pond below.

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The "Animal Friends" show, housed in the Kidzworld amphitheater in the zoo's childrens' section, features mostly domesticated animals such as dogs and parrots performing tricks.

o Friends of the Zoo

The zoo also has a "friends of the zoo" programme, where people can sign up for a yearly pass which grants them special privileges such as:

Free and unlimited entry to Singapore Zoo for whole year

Free Zoo tram rides and parking

A free quarterly "Wildlife wonders" magazine

10% discount at some participating retail outlets

o Organising events

There are three event venues available in the zoo, Forest Lodge, Pavilion-By-the-Lake and Garden Pavilion. There are also three cocktail venues, Elephants of Asia, Tiger Trek and Treetops Trail. The Singapore Zoo also facilitates birthday parties and weddings.

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Wild Wild Wet

Wild Wild Wet is a water park located inside NTUC Downtown East, Pasir Ris in Singapore. The park has a 3 storey high raft water slide that is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

o List of Rides/Attractions

Thrill rides

Slide Up: 4-story ramp slide. Riders accelerate down, skim across the deck and soar up the opposite side. This is repeated several times until the rider's momentum runs out. Capacities of the half pipes that you can get at the bottom part of the stair tower, can accommodate up to two passengers. Riders exit at a platform in the middle (bottom).

The Waterworks: A pair of water slides, one open and one enclosed. Ular-Lah: The first raft slide in Southeast Asia. Each raft can accommodate up to

6 riders. The rafts shoot down a 80.5m long free-fall chute and then manoeuvres its way down into a shallow plunge pool.

Family attractions

o Jacuzzi

o Shiok River: 345m in length, skirting the perimeter of the park. Riders can swim

in it or get a float and move along the currents. This ride also has miniature caves. Note that there are two "stations" on the river: one for entry and one for exiting riders. There is also a rest stop along a section of the river's course.

o Skyrider: The park's only dry ride. Riders are able to control the speed of the 8

twin-seat carriages while enjoying an aerial view of the park 7m above ground. The mono-cycle system's only station is connected to the Shark Bay Locker area by a winding spiral staircase. There are proper gates for entry and exit, like a real train. Seat belts are provided.

o Tsunami: Wave pool. Tidal waves appear every 15 minutes.the tsunami waves

will appear after a bell has sounded. Riders can take a float and move to the 1.8m deep area and wait for the tidal wave to begin.The waves usually lasts for about 10 minutes.

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Marina Barrage

The Marina Barrage is a dam in Singapore built across the mouth of the bay, between Marina East and Marina South. It was officially opened on 1 November 2008. It was Singapore's fifteenth reservoir.

The Marina Barrage was conferred the Superior Achievement Award - the highest honour of the competition for the best project entry - at the AAEE Annual Awards Luncheon held in Washington, DC, USA on 6 May 2009. The Marina Barrage beat 33 other entries to take home the top prize in this year's competition organised by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE), becoming the second project outside of USA to win the award, in the last decade.

The S$226 million project turns Marina Bay and Kallang Basin into a new downtown freshwater Marina Reservoir. It provides water supply, flood control and a new lifestyle attraction.

By keeping out seawater, the barrage forms Singapore’s 15th reservoir and first reservoir in the city. Marina Reservoir, together with the future Punggol and Serangoon reservoirs, will increase Singapore’s water catchment areas from half to two-thirds of Singapore’s total land area.

Marina Barrage also acts as a tidal barrier to keep seawater out, helping to alleviate flooding in low lying areas of the city such asChinatown, Jalan Besar and Geylang.

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When it rains heavily during low-tide, the barrage’s crest gates will be lowered to release excess water from the reservoir into the sea. If heavy rain falls during high-tide, the crest gates remain closed and giant drainage pumps are activated to pump excess water out to sea.

As the water in the Marina Basin is unaffected by the tides, the water level will be kept constant, making it ideal for all kinds of recreational activities such as boating, windsurfing, kayaking and

dragonboating etc.

The building of the Marina Barrage required the relocation of Clifford Pier from Collyer Quay to Marina South (see Marina South Pier).

Marina Barrage is open for viewing 24/7. The information counter is open

from 9.00am to 6.00pm on weekdays and 10.00am to 8.00pm on weekends. Tours for a maximum capacity of 80 people to the Visitor Centre can be arranged prior to arrival.

The Marina Barrage was the ninth pit stop of The Amazing Race 16,which travelled to Singapore as part of leg 9.

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Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a small 1.64 square kilometer (400 acre) nature reserve near the geographic centre of the city-state of Singapore, located on the slopes of Bukit Timah Hill, Singapore's highest hill standing at a height of 163.63 metres, and parts of the surrounding area. The nature reserve is about 12 kilometres from the Downtown Core, Singapore's central business district.

Despite its small size, it is considered one of the most productive pieces of nature, particularly by Alfred Russel Wallace. Together with the neighbouring Central Catchment Nature Reserve, it houses over 840 species of flowering plants and over 500 species of fauna. Today, it is one of the largest patches of primary rainforest left in Singapore.

The name Bukit Timah is borrowed from the tallest hill found in the area of the same name, which is also the tallest geographical location in all of Singapore. Bukit means hill in theMalay language, while Timah means tin, although tin deposits are not found in the area. The hill served as a granite quarry for many years, but since the mid-1900s, all operations of which has since been abandoned and converted into recreational areas and even filming locations.

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o History

In 1882, Nathaniel Cantley, then Superintendent of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, was commissioned by the Government of the Straits Settlements to prepare a report on the forests of the settlements. On

Cantley's recommendation, several forest reserves were created on Singapore island over the next few years. Bukit Timah was one of the first forest reserves established in 1883.

All the reserves were worked for timber with the

exception of Bukit Timah Reserve. By 1937, the forest reserves were depleted under economic pressures for development. However, three areas, including the Bukit Timah Reserve, were retained for the protection of flora and fauna under the management of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Today, the nature reserves are set aside for the propagation, protection and preservation of the indigenous flora and fauna of Singapore under the National Parks Act and are managed by the National Parks Board.

o Recreation

The primary activities at Bukit Timah are strolling, running and hiking. There are also smaller groups of people who rock-climb and abseil at the Dairy Farm quarry as well as mountain biking. There are specially-allocated mountain-bike trails. The Reserve is popular among athletes training for mountain-climbing.

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Naturalists also treasure Bukit Timah for its variety of plants and animals. Some of the common plants there are the rattan, figs, and macaranga. Common animals include millipedes,carpenter bees, and many different types of birds and insects.

Orchard Road

Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction. Often the surrounding area is known simply as Orchard.[1]

The immediate vicinity of Orchard Road, Orchard Planning Area is one of 55 urban planning areas as specified by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and is a commercial district. It is part of the Central Region, and Singapore's central business district, the Central Area.

During the National Day Rally Speech 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that he would create more landmark buildings to create more fun in the district, partly to keep up with vibrant cities around the region.

Orchard Road underwent a $40 million revamp in 2009, with the addition of new street lamps, planter boxes, urban green rooms, street tiling, and flower totem poles.

o Shopping

The first shop of note on Orchard Road was Tangs founded in 1934 and established on Orchard Road in the 1950s.

Orchard Road is flanked by pedestrian malls. Orchard Road also contains numerous upmarket restaurants, coffee chains, cafés, nightclubsand hotels. It is also the site of the official residence of the President of Singapore, the Istana.

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List of shopping centers

DFS Galleria — This shopping mall located in Scotts Road, it mainly sells luxury item such as Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton, Prada,Gucci, Hermès, Loewe and Bvlgari.

ION Orchard — ION Orchard opened on July 21 2009 and houses six double-storey flagship stores of close to 9,000 square feet (840 m2) each, including Prada, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier and Patek Philippe. Its signature glass façade doubles up as a giant media screen as well.

Ngee Ann City — The mall opened in 1993 and is the largest shopping mall in the Orchard Road shopping belt. It houses branded boutiques such as Vacheron Constantin, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Burberry, Loewe and Chanel as well as Japanese department store,Takashimaya. The mall is also home to Southeast Asia's second largest bookstore, Books Kinokuniya.

Wisma Atria — Opened in 1986, it underwent renovation recently with its trademark blue facade replaced with a glass facade. There is a 900 seat food court on the 4th floor which is run by the BreadTalk Group. The mall is directly connected to Orchard station. It stands on the former site of Wisma Indonesia which used to house the Indonesian Embassy.

Plaza Singapura — Located next to the Istana, the mall opened in 1974 with a now defunct Yaohan department store. It was revamped twice, in 1998 and 2003 with the former having a totally revamped now and the latter with a new tenant mix. It houses a Golden Village cineplex , Carrefour and other shops.

Lucky Plaza — A shopping mall that somehow became the main focal point for domestic Filipino workers to meet their friends during their off days. The place is known to be very crowded on Sundays with many shops selling products from the Philippines.

Far East Plaza — Far East Plaza opened in 1982 with a Metro which has since closed down. Popular with students with its cheap fashionitems, the plaza is also known for its cheap food outlets. The mall has since undergone renovation.

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Mandarin Gallery — Located inside Meritus Mandarin

Singapore housing international high-end brands like Y-3, Bape and Hugo Boss.

Orchard Central — Singapore's first and tallest vertical mall, which replaced Specialists Shopping Centre and opened on 2 July 2009.

Orchard Point — Home to local department store, OG, it used to have art galleries, but was closed when OG decided to take over. John Little, part of the Robinsons Group, has since taken over since 2007.

Orchard Towers — A shopping mall consisting of twin blocks with small shops and night clubs.

The Paragon — The Paragon is a high-end shopping mall selling branded items such as brand like Gucci which open flapship store here and Miu Miu, Prada, Coach and Burberry with a Metro department store and a Marks & Spencer store as well. The place also has a Toys 'R' Us and a number of restaurants. It underwent expansion around 2002, taking over the land once occupied by another shopping centre The Promenade. The Promenade was built on the former location of Fitzpatrick's supermarket.

Tang Plaza — Tang Plaza is home to a homegrown department store, Tangs.

The Centrepoint — The mall opened in 1983 and has Robinsons and Marks and Spencer as its anchor tenants. It underwent renovation and built a new extension in 2007.

The Heeren Shops — Heeren sells items mainly for youngsters. The site was formerly a colonial building.

Forum The Shopping Mall — Forum sells mainly branded children's clothes and accessories with a Toys "R" Us on the third floor. It also has a number of branded boutiques such asEmporio Armani and Dolce and Gabbana.

Shaw House and Centre — Shaw House is home to the Isetan department store and on the fifth and sixth floors is where the Lido 8 Cineplex is located, which has one of the largest cinema halls in the country. It houses Fendi, Loewe and Celine as well.

Hilton Singapore — Located inside the hotel itself, the Hilton Shopping Gallery houses branded boutiques such as Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Bulgari, Lanvin, Donna Karan, Balenciagaand Dolce & Gabbana. It also include Club21, a Singapore high-end based company that sell luxurious items like Mulberry, Comme des Garçons and Dries van Noten.

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Palais Renaissance — Palais Renaissance was completed in 1993

and mainly houses upmarket branded boutiques such brand like Donna Karen and Valentino.

Hotels

Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre - formerly Holiday Inn

Park View Singapore

Goodwood Park Hotel Singapore

York Hotel Singapore

Elizabeth Hotel Singapore

Royal Plaza on Scotts Singapore

Grand Hyatt Singapore - formerly Hyatt Regency Singapore

Singapore Marriott Hotel - formerly Dynasty Hotel Singapore

Mandarin Orchard Singapore - formerly Meritus Mandarin, prior to

that Mandarin Singapore

Grand Park Orchard Singapore - formerly

Park Hotel Orchard, prior to

that Crown Prince Hotel

Concorde Hotel Singapore

- formerly Le Meridien

Singapore

Four Seasons Hotel

Singapore

Hilton Singapore

Orchard Parade Hotel

Singapore

Orchard Hotel Singapore - managed by Millennium & Copthorne

St. Regis Singapore

Former notable hotels

Boulevard Hotel Singapore

Hotel Phoenix Singapore (demolished to make way for 313@Somerset)

Dynasty Hotel Singapore (currently Singapore Marriott Hotel)

Royal Crowne Plaza Singapore (currently Royal Plaza on Scotts)

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Meritus Mandarin Singapore (currently Mandarin Orchard Singapore)

Crown Prince Hotel (currently Grand Park Orchard)

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Pulau Ubin

Pulau Ubin is a small island (10.19 km²) situated in the north east of Singapore, to the west of Pulau Tekong. Granite quarrying supported a few thousand settlers on Pulau Ubin in the 1960s, but only about a hundred villagers live there today. It is one of the last rural areas to be found in Singapore, with an abundance of natural flora and fauna. Legend has it that Pulau Ubin was formed when three animals from Singapore (a frog, a pig and an elephant) challenged each other to a race to reach the shores of Johor. The animals that failed would turn to

stone. All three came across many difficulties and were unable to reach the shores of Johor. Therefore, the elephant and pig together turned into Pulau Ubin whilst the frog became Pulau Sekudu or Frog Island.[1] Legend has it that Pulau Ubin was formed when three animals from Singapore (a frog, a pig and an elephant) challenged each other to a race to reach the shores of Johor. The animals that failed would turn to stone. All three came across many difficulties and were unable to reach the shores of Johor. Therefore, the elephant and pig together turned into Pulau Ubin whilst the frog became Pulau Sekudu or Frog Island. Though the island attracted attention for development and planning only in recent years, Singaporean visitors have been visiting Pulau Ubin for summer camps and outdoor activities for many years.

With growing attention and interest in nature, the flow of visitors to Pulau Ubin has increased over the years.One of the current popular tourist attractions on the island is Chek Jawa. A previous coral reef 5,000 years ago, Chek Jawa can be said to be virtually unspoilt, with a variety of marine wildlife comparable to other islands, such as sea hares, sea squirts, octopuses, starfishes, sand dollars, fishes, sponges, cuttlefishes and nudibranches.

Visitors may travel to Pulau Ubin from the main island of Singapore via a 10-minute bumboat ride from the Changi Village jetty. In 2008 the one way ticket price was increased from S$2.00 to S$2.50 per passenger. Every bumboat can carry 12 passengers and the captain will wait till his boat has reached the maximum capacity. People who do not want to wait can pay S$30.00 for the whole bumboat and leave without waiting.

The rental price for bicycles range anywhere from S$2.00 to S$20.00 (for the entire day) depending on the condition of the bike, number of gears etc.

Pulau Ubin is a time tunnel into the 1960s, when electricity is from stand-alone diesel-operated generators and drinking water is drawn from wells. This is a scene familiar to the post-WWII

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baby boomers. Those born after them get to observe life during the kampung era of their parents and grandparents.

Sungei Buloh Wetland

The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a nature reserve located in the Northwest area of Singapore. It is the first wetlands reserve to be gazetted in Singapore in the year 2002, and its global importance as a stop-over point for migratory birds was also recognised by the Wetlands International's inclusion of the reserve into the East Asian Australasian Shorebird Site Network. The reserve, with an area of 130 hectares, was listed as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2003

Crabs and mudskippers dominate the littoral zone, the area between the low and high tide zones. Mud lobsters and their volcano-like mounds can be observed above the high-tide level. One may even find Malayan water monitor in the area. Fishes are in abundance due to the cessation of fishing. The Mullet, Archer Fish and Halfbeak are some species of fish in the area. Amongst the many birds that can be spotted feeding on the diverse fauna variety of worms and mollusks, are Whimbrel, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Mongolian Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper and Pacific Golden Plover, Yellow Bittern and Cinnamon Bittern. Lucky visitors to the Reserve may be able to spot the resident family of Smooth Otters, as well as the rare Lesser Whistling-duck. Atlas Moth, the largest species of moth in Southeast Asia can be found in the back

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mangrove. Observation hides are available in the reserve where visitors can observe the flora and fauna in the surroundings in tranquility and at a distance from the animals and birds.

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Singapore Garden Festival

Singapore's garden and flower show, is a biennial event and the first and only international garden show in the tropics to showcase creations from the world’s top award-winning garden and floral designers under one roof. The festival is organised by the National Parks Board of Singapore, in partnership with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), the Orchid Society of South East Asia (Singapore), the Singapore Gardening Society and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

The festival features international landscape and garden designers, florists and horticulturists convening in a single location. This contrasts with other international horticultural events which feature mainly domestic and regional designers and market vendors.

Combined the past two festivals attracted more than half a million visitors. The inaugural festival, held at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre from December 16 to 25, 2006, more than 200,000 visitors, and the 2008 festival more than 300,000 visitors, approximately 30 per cent of which came from overseas.

The festival featured 18 show gardens and 14 floral displays by 35 local and foreign award-winning landscape and garden designers, florists and horticulturists from 17

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countries. The 2008 festival also featured a three-day international trade exhibition and conference, where leading internationally renowned experts provided insight into the emerging markets and trends that drive the landscape and horticulture industry. At the closing ceremony of the 2008 Festival, Minister for National Development Mr. Mah Bow Tan announced that the Festival is a fundamental element of the strategy to boost Singapore's transformation into a city in a garden and in raising the bar of the landscaping and horticulture industry.

The Singapore Garden Festival 2010 returned to Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 15 to 22 July 2010. Some of the exhibits new to the 2010 festival included:

Balcony Gardens Showcase - Offered city dwellers inspiration on how they could transform their balcony into a soothing retreat. Award-winning designers Ng Sek San and Jun-Ichi Inada put together a display of eight balconies.

Periscope Garden - A visual treat for children, this unique garden allowed visitors to explore different thematic gardens through a looking glass.

Supermarket Garden - was an educational trip down the aisles of the Supermarket Garden as which showed how produce and food are grown on farms.

Home Gardeners’ Showcase - offered the public a peek into the ways in which everyday gardeners spruce up their homes with greenery in innovative ways. From innovative greening ideas to vertical greenery, these home gardens showed how you to achieve green spaces in visitors' own homes.

Returning events were:

Best of Show Landscape and Fantasy Gardens – featured creations by local designers and top award-winning garden designers from renowned garden shows around the world.

Floral Windows to the World – featured colorful and vibrant cut-flower displays and floral masterpieces with set design and lighting by floral designers from home and abroad.

Singapore Orchid Show – showcased Southeast Asia’s rich and diverse heritage of orchids. And included a display of the most diverse botanical family and one the most important plant group in the international floriculture industry

Garden Fiesta – fringe activities that offered educational, recreational and entertainment value such as talks, demonstrations and other exhibits catering to the public, families, serious gardeners as well as hobbyists

Vibrant Marketplace – offered a wide array of plants, gardening and landscape products and services, and arts and crafts for sale under one roof.

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Singapore Botanic Garden

The Singapore Botanic Gardens( Malay: Taman Botanik Singapura or Kebun Botani Singapura) is a 74-hectare (183-acre) botanical garden in Singapore. It is half the size of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew or around one-fifth the size of Central Park in New York. It is the only botanic garden in the world that opens from 5 a.m. to 12 midnight every single day of the year, and does not charge an admission fee, except for the National Orchid Garden. The garden is bordered by Holland Road and Napier Road to the south, Cluny Road to the east, Tyersall Avenue and Cluny Park Road to the west and Bukit Timah Road to the North. The linear distance between the northern and southern ends is around 2.5 km (1.5 miles).

The National Orchid Garden is the main attraction within the Botanic Gardens. Located on the mid-western side of the Garden, the hilly three-hectare site has a collection of more than 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids of orchids.

Burkill Hall and the VIP Orchid Garden: Burkill Hall is a colonial plantation bungalow built in 1886. It used to be the director's house and was named in honour of the only father and son pair to hold the post of Director of Singapore Botanic Gardens, Isaac and Humphrey Burkill. The ground level serves as an exhibition area, showcasing information on the different hybrids named after VIPs who have visited the garden.

Orchidarium: A haven for serious orchids enthusiasts, the Orchidarium houses natural species in a tropical setting.

Tan Hoon Siang Misthouse: Tan Hoon Siang was a descendant of Tan Tock Seng, who was a philanthropist and founder of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The misthouse contains a colourful collection of different hybrids. It also has a small collection of fragrant orchids like Vanda Mimi Plamer.

Lady Yuen-Peng McNeice Bromeliad House: Named in honour of its sponsor, the Bromeliad House showcases plants from the Bromeliaceae family, which includes the pineapple. The unique collection of bromeliads on display was acquired from Shelldance Nursery in the United States in 1994.

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Little india

Little India is an ethnic neighbourhood found in Singapore that has Tamil cultural elements. Little India lies to

east of the Singapore River—across from Chinatown, located west of the river—and north of Kampong Glam. Both areas are part of the urban planning area of Rochor.

Little India is distinct from the Chulia

Kampong area, which, under the Raffles Plan of Singapore, was originally a division of colonial Singapore where Tamil immigrants would reside under the British policy of ethnic segregation. However, as Chulia Kampong became more crowded and competition for land escalated, many ethnic Tamils moved into what is now known as Little India. (The Chulia Kampong district no longer exists as a distinct area.)

The Little India area is reported to have developed around a former settlement for Tamil convicts. Its location along the Serangoon River originally made it attractive for raising cattle, and trade in livestock was once prominent in the area. Eventually, other economic activity developed, and by the turn of the 20th century, the area began to look like a Tamil ethnic neighbourhood.

Although ethnic Tamils no longer tend to stay solely segregated in one place as previously arranged under the modern People's Action Party (PAP) policy of racial harmony, for the sake of cultural heritage, many of the ethnically Tamils commercial or cottage industry usages are concentrated in Little India, although Tamil-dominant commercial zones are also found in HDB estates. This neighbourhood has the patronage

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of people of all races who wish to eat or buy something specific to Tamils culture, such as curry or Tamil clothing. One of the more prominent examples of cross-cultural patronage besides those regarding food is that many Chinese parents go to shops in Little India to grind rice to make congee for infants. In such cases, the shops have machinery primarily meant to grind spices into powder for use in Tamil cuisine. Little India resembles India in many respects, including road construction and sanitation, differing sharply from the rest of Singapore's pristine districts.

Serangoon Road is the main commercial thoroughfare in Little India. It intersects Rochor Canal Road and Bukit Timah Sungei Road. Along Serangoon Road is the Tekka Centre, the Tekka Mall, the Little India Arcade, Serangoon Plaza, and the Mustafa Centre (on a side-road). Farrer Park Fields is located in the district. Several Hindu temples, mosques, and other place of worship include Foochow Methodist Church, Kampong Kapor Methodist Church, Sri

Veeramakaliamman Temple, Angullia Mosque, Sri

Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple, Jalan Mosque, and the Central Sikh Gurdwara. The Abdul Gafoor Mosque, built in 1859 and named after a Tamil lawyer's clerk, features Arabian- and Renaissance- style architecture. Its prayer hall, decorated with Moorish arch-work, displays a tableau featuring the history of the Islamic religion. The Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, along Serangoon Road, features a high gopuram (tower), and was built in 1855. The Buddhist Sakyamuni Buddha Gaya Temple, also along Serangoon Road, originally established by Thai monk Vuthisasara in 1927. Leong San See Temple is dedicated to Guanyin, the Chinese Boddhisattva of Mercy.

Little India's Petain Road, named after French Marshal Philippe Pétain (who was later convicted of collaboration with Nazi Germany), was built in 1916 on a drained swamp, and features examples of Singaporean Chinese architecture.

The area is served by the following MRT stations: Little India,and Farrer Park.

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Singapore Art FestivalThe Singapore Arts Festival is an annual arts festival held in Singapore. Organised by the National

Arts Council, it is one of the most significant events in the regional arts scene. The festival, usually held in mid-year for a stretch of one month, incorporates theatre arts, dance, music and visual arts, among other possibilities. Besides local participants, approximately 70% of the events are put up by

international artists.

Today, the Singapore Arts Festival has become an international showcase

with a distinctive Asian flavour, known for its bold and innovative collaborations at the cutting-edge of contemporary arts.

The 33rd edition of the Singapore Arts Festival ran from 14 May to 13 June 2010.

This year's theme, Between You and Me, is all about getting closer to the arts. For the first time, the Festival will actively reach out to everyone through an outreach programme called com.mune. Together with a stellar showcase of

international performances, the Festival will truly touch you in ways you never imagined possible.

The Singapore Arts Festival started in 1977 as a national arts festival to celebrate local arts from the diverse communities in Singapore. Over the last three decades, the Festival has

played a symbiotic and catalytic role in the development of the artistic and cultural life of Singapore. It has

helped to transform the city’s cultural landscape, turning it into one of Asia’s major cultural capitals today. It has influenced local artists as well as increasing public

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awareness and demand for the arts, spawning new cultural platforms, events, and movements that help underpin the lively cultural scene in present Singapore.

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Mustafa Market

Mustafa has seen impressive growth since its inception. The first shop was established in 1971 in Campbell Lane in Little India, selling ready

made garments.

In 1973 , a 900 Sq.Ft Shop space was rented along Serangoon Road. Electronic Items were added on to it's range of products. A second shop also 900 Sq.Ft was rented beside the first shop to accomodate growing customer traffic. Along with it, more products were sourced from overseas to give customers a wider selection of goods. The choice of new products based on what customers

wanted.

In 1985, the government acquired the shops for conservation, Mr.Mustaq

Ahmad looked at several areas and decided to set up shop at Serangoon Plaza. A bold decision since Serangoon Plaza was located away from the main shopping belt in Little India, however, Mr.Ahmad went ahead to rent a space of 40,000 Sq.Ft on the ground floor of the building.

The store became an immediate success, and more space was rented within the building to accomodate the growing clientele. With this in mind, and also considering the rental projection, Mr.Ahmad thought it would be best to own his own premises to maintain his business strategy.

Today, customers can get almost anything from over 75,000 items displayed on four levels covering an area of 70,000 Sq.ft within the six story building which houses a hotel with 130 tastefully furnished rooms that say "Shop and Stay" under one roof, along Syed Alwi Road. The business concept of offering other services such as Foreign Exchange, Travel, and a Hotel, has helped in contributing to the growth of the business.

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Not only Mustafa Centre is a reality, the old store at serangoon Plaza has expanded into 75,000 Sq.ft. A total shopping space of 150,000 Sq.ft is still not enough to accomodate the growing customer traffic.

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The Sail @ Marina Bay

The Sail @ Marina Bay is a waterfront lifestyle condominium located in the Marina Bay area in Singapore. It was completed in 2008. The first tenants have moved into Central Park Tower in July 2008. Residents moved into Marina Bay Tower a few weeks later. The structure of The Sail is 245 metres (804 ft.) and 70 stories high and is Singapore's tallest condominium/apartment and among the top 10 tallest residential buildings in the world. This development offers panoramic city view of Marina Bay and the sea. It is close to some of Singapore's famous landmarks such as Suntec City, Marina Bay Sands, Esplanade, Telok Ayer Market and theSingapore River. The Downtown MRT Station is being built a few meters to the West of the building. The building was erected on reclaimed land, and the Central Linear Park is built on the South Side next to the building.

o DesignThe condominium was designed by Peter Pran with leading design firm NBBJ. The two buildings include a glass facade, sculpted Marina Bay Tower to look like a sail, and configured the complex representative of a huge canyon, reflecting his utilisation of inspirations by the sun, the wind, and the water respectively.

The site area is 9,090.9 square metres with a maximum permissible gross floor area of 118,182 square metres. It has 29,000 square feet (2,700 m2) of retail space, and an underground link to the Raffles Place MRT Station. It will offer 1,111 99-year leasehold residential units, 438 one-bedroom units, 418 two-bedroom units,

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175 three-bedroom units, 75 four-bedroom units, as well as 5 penthouses, with the largest almost 9,000 square feet (840 m2) in size.

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The Helix Bridge

The Helix Bridge , previously known as the Double Helix Bridge , is a

pedestrian bridge linking Marina Centre with Marina South in the Marina Bay area in Singapore. It

was officially opened on April 24, 2010 at 9 pm, however only half was opened due to ongoing

construction at the Marina Bay Sands. It is located beside the Benjamin Sheares Bridge and is

accompanied by a vehicular bridge, known as the Bayfront Bridge. The entire bridge was opened on

July 18, 2010 to complete the entire walkway around Marina Bay.

The bridge complements other major development projects planned in the area, including the highly-

anticipated Integrated Resort Marina Bay Sands , Singapore Flyer, Gardens by the Bay and the 438,000

m² business and financial centre which will be ready by 2012.

The design consortium is an international team comprising Australian architects the Cox Group and

engineers Arup, and Singapore based Architects 61. The bridge is expected to be a focal point for the

community, linking cultural, recreational and entertainment facilities in the area and complements the

overall pedestrian scheme of Marina Bay. The bridge also functions as a gallery where children's

paintings and drawings are exhibited for public viewing.

Canopies (made of fritted-glass and perforated steel mesh) are incorporated along parts of the inner

spiral to provide shade for pedestrians. The bridge has five viewing platforms sited at strategic

locations which provide stunning views of the Singapore skyline and events taking place within

Marina Bay. At night, the bridge will be illuminated by a series of lights that highlight the double-

helix structure, thereby creating a special visual experience for the visitors. There are two pairs of

coloured letters c and g, a and t on the bridge which are lit up at night in red and green. They

representcytosine, guanine, adenine and thymine, which are the four bases of DNA.

The Land Transport Authority claims it is a world first in architectural and engineering bridge design.

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Bugis Street

Bugis, in the city- state of Singapore, was renowned

internationally from the 1950s to the 1980s for its

nightly gathering of transwomen, a

phenomenon which made it

one of Singapore's

top tourist destinations

during that period.

In the mid-1980s, Bugis Street underwent major

urban redevelopment into a retail complex of modern

shopping malls, restaurants and nightspots

mixed with regulated back-alley

roadside vendors. Underground

digging to construct the Bugis

MRT station prior to that

also caused the upheaval and

termination of nightly transgender

sex bazaar culture, marking the end of

a colourful and unique era in

Singapore's history.

Today, the original Bugis Street is now a cobblestoned,

relatively wide avenue

sandwiched between the buildings

of the Bugis

Junctionshopping complex. On the

other hand, the lane presently

touted as "Bugis Street" by

the Singapore Tourist Promotion

Board is actually developed

from New Bugis Street, and is billed

as "the largest street-shopping location in Singapore".

An attempt by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board to bring back the former glamor

was unsuccessful.

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Arab Street

Arab Street is the name of a road and neighbourhood in Singapore. There are two

explanations behind the name. The first one is that the area was owned by

an Arab merchant, Syed Ali bin Mohamed Al Junied and that it was the site of an

Arabkampong, hence the name Arab Street. The Chinese referred the street as jiau a

koi (Javanese street), in the view of the Javanese who used to be the majority inhabitants

of the area. Spices, textiles, basketry items and Sonkoks are sold along this row of

shophouses with five-foot way at Arab Street. In Tamil, Arab Street is known as pukadai

sadkku (flower shops street), because of shops selling homegrown flowers, lime and other

goods sold by Javanese women. In 1889, a huge fire occurred.

The other explanation is tied to the preexisting situation at the time of the nation's

founding by Sir Stamford Raffles. When Raffles was planning the outline of areas to be

allocated for the government, as opposed to commercial and residential use, a community

of Bugis seamen  and merchants were already near the Sultan's palace. He therefore

allocated the area to them, near where

their boats were sheltered in the river,

bringing their annual cargo to

a barter basis. That is how the

name Bugis Street came about. The

Arabs and

otherMohammedan traders (Chulias)

were also allocated to areas

near Kampong Glam.

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Future Developments In Singapore

Commercial Developmentso Ocean Financial Centre- The Ocean Financial Centre will be located at the

Raffles Place MRT Station and will primarily house financial companies. The date of completion is expected in 2011.

o One Raffles Place (tower 2)- will be constructed on the site of the previous OUB

Centre, and once completed (alongside the existing OUB Centre), the entire complex will be renamed One Raffles Place. The new tower will be 38 storeys tall with a height of 205m.

o Marina Bay Financial Centre- The Marina Bay Financial Centre, is a multi-phase

development located along Marina Boulevard at Marina Bay, Singapore. It will be the largest office development to date in the city in terms of gross floor area when fully completed.

o Asia Square- Asia Square, located in Marina Bay, is a twin-tower mixed-use

development that comprises 2,000,000 square feet (190,000 m2) of grade A office space, a 280-room five-star hotel, 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of retail space and 'The Cube', a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) open public space used for networking or relaxing with a regular programme of exhibitions and performances. The development will be completed by 2011.

o South Beach- South Beach is a planned commercial and residential complex to be

located on Beach Road in the Downtown Core of Singapore. The new development will comprise offices, two hotels, shops and residences. The complex is scheduled for completion in 2016.

Leisure &Entertainmento Change Motorsports Hub- houses the Singapore's first permanent racing track. It

is situated next to the Changi Exhibition Centre. The site features a 20,000 spectators grandstand, a 4 km grade 2 race track, a 1.2 km karting track and lifestyle attractions like food and beverage outlets, a beach front and a museum. It is expected to be ready in end-2011

o Sports Hub- The Singapore Sports Hub at Kallang will replace the National

Stadium of Singapore. The expected year of completion was 2011 but later delayed till 2014. On 19 January 2008, it was announced that the Singapore Sports Hub consortium would develop the Sports Hub.

o Jurong Lake District- The Urban Redevelopment Authority announced on 4

April 2008 the blueprint for Jurong Lake District. The vision for Jurong Lake District is to transform it into a 360 hectare unique lakeside destination for business and leisure in the next 10 to 15 years.[3] It will be the largest commercial hub outside the city.

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o River Safari- Asia's first river-themed park, River Safari, is situated beside the

Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, in Mandai. The park will feature more than 300 plant species and 500 animal species. River Safari will also be home to the Giant Pandas from China when they arrive by the third quarter of 2011 as part of a joint collaboration with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The park is expected to be ready by first half of 2012

Other Developmentso Serangoon and Punggol Reservoirs- Serangoon Reservoir and Punggol

Reservoir will be the 16th and 17th reservoir in Singapore. The Serangoon Reservoir is formed by damming up the estuary of Sungei Serangoon, and the Punggol Reservoir is formed by damming up the estuary of the Sungei Punggol. Both projects are slated for completion by 2011

o Punggol 21- Punggol 21 is a development initiative that plans to develop the

mostly undeveloped town of Punggol into a residential new town. Currently, the southern parts of Punggol are developed, mostly with HDB flats. There are ongoing projects to build a town centre, supposedly with an air-conditioned bus interchange. There is going to be a man-made canal dug through Punggol, connecting the future Serangoon Reservoir and Punggol Reservoir. The northwest of Punggol will be developed and the West Loop of the Punggol LRT Line will be in operation, serving the area.

o Gardens by the Bay- Gardens by the Bay is an ongoing project that includes the

building of three major parks at Marina Centre, Marina South and Marina East, mostly on the coastal areas of Marina Bay. Groundbreaking started in November 2007, and the first phase of the Marina South Gardens is slated for completion by end 2010. It surrounds the coasts of Marina Bay, and they are linked by bridges built over the bay and rivers, such as the Marina Barrage and The Helix Bridge mentioned above. It will take up 94 hectares of land altogether, with 54 hectares in Marina South, 30 hectares at Marina East and 10 hectares at Marina Centre.

o Gardens by the Bay at Marina South- The Gardens by the Bay at Marina South

is designed by UK-based design firm Grant Associates. It will be the future permanent home of the Singapore Garden Festival. It is linked to the Gardens at Marina Centre by The Helix Bridge and the Gardens at Marina East by the Marina Barrage. There are a few main attractions at the Marina Bay Gardens:

Super trees Cool conservatories The horticultural show gardens Plant edutainment garden Flower market

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o Gardens by the Bay Marina East - The Gardens by the Bay at Marina

East is designed by UK-based design firm Gustafson Porter. It will be a waterfront park that is connected to East Coast Park. This watersports themed park will allow for activities such as canoeing, water skiing, sculling and dragon boat races to be conducted along the Channel. It will also feature a number of artificial waterfalls and a wading pool. It is linked to the Gardens at Marina South by the Marina Barrage.

o Gardens by the Bay at Marina Centre- The Gardens by the Bay at

Marina Centre will have a waterfront promenade called Marina Promenade stretching 2.8 km. It houses the Singapore Flyer, The Float at Marina Bay and Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay. It is linked to the Gardens at Marina by the Double Helix Bridge

o Other developments include the Reflections at Keppel Bay, Seafront living

at Woodlands, Youth Olympic Games Village, Jurong General Hospital, Nex, Jurong Entertainment Centre and Singapore University of Technology and Design

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ConclusionAll those people who are planning for a holiday in Asia, Singapore form the main choice of millions of tourists. Sometimes the number of tourists even exceeds the number of people in the city. Excellent modern infrastructure, cleanliness, ethnic cultural groups and friendly environment all contribute in attracting and welcoming Singapore tourism. It presents a unique tourists destination in itself, right from the food, amusements parks, gardens, museums to vibrant nightlife and sightseeing. It is difficult to unravel all the attractions of Singapore, but some of them are worth visiting.

Singapore map provide you some useful information to tourists regarding their itinerary tour to Singapore. Under water world present spectacular scenes that leaves it imprints in the mind of tourists. Dugong, a Sea cow entertains its visitor with its acrobatic movements. One can even observes the series of interactive, feeding and training sessions, which demonstrate their natural abilities of tail-walking synchronization. World's premier night zoo- Night Safari, is world renowned. It holds many surprises, more than 1200 animals of 110 exotic species.

Beach and Nature lovers will find immense pleasure on Sentosa Island. It is a fun paradise among the many exciting attractions - entertainment by day and night, dancing fountain, history and culture come alive, manicured garden, lush green surroundings to explore, and two challenging international 18-hole golf courses with scenic undulating views. Today, Sentosa is a recreational haven, which boasts of its kaleidoscopic range of attractions and activities catering to wide range of audience.

The Changi Museum brings something for historians. In order to honor the spirit and commitment of warriors, this museum inspires future generation to appreciate the heroic and inspirational stories that took place in Changi. Some parks and gardens, either botanical or zoological are really superb. Not only these, but there are many more attraction and ethnic groups places which in addition of representing cultural diversity, also offers lot of excitement and special cuisines for the tourists.

This tourists' favorite destination provides superb choices of accommodation before its travelers. With increasing tourism to the country, numbers of hotels are also increasing to cater to the needs of their clients. Visit hotel map of Singapore, present on various sites to look into location of hotels and resorts in Singapore, so that you could make your right decision for the stay according to your needs. There is wide range of hotels in Singapore, ranging form cheap hotels to star luxury hotels that cater to the needs of clients on the basis of their budget

All these points proves that Singapore tourism industry plays a vital role on the country's economy.

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RecommendationsThe following points are few of the recommendation that I like to suggest to the industry after

this dissertation:

to increase amenities at different tourist spots.

worldwide advertisement besides t.v commercials.

should penetrate the social media buzz like Facebook,Twitter to attract the

mass(tourists)

subsidies by scholarships by the government to international students with

outstanding talents but financially backwards.

increase the extent of integrity by accepting all cultures and values and demonstrating

it on a common platform.

set up more cultural complexs to facilitate such exhibitions. it could also be a source

for educating tourist by widening their mental horizons .

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References

In order to get the information for the presented dissertation the following ways were

followed:

secondary data:

www.google.com

www.wikipedia.com

www.yoursingapore.com

www.stb.gov.sg

primary data:

visited the various tourist spots inorder to know more about that place.

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