Sentosa sees 18% increase in visitors

by Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE - The number of people visiting Sentosa rose to 9.2 million in the first half of this year. This represents an 18 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, Sentosa Leisure Group said.

Sentosa Development Corporation chief executive Mike Barclay said this puts the island on track to register 20 million visitors for the year.

Excluding Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), locals made up 49 per cent of visitors to the island, while four in 10 leisure and business tourists who visited Singapore also visited Sentosa.

Asian countries, in particular Indonesia, The Philippines and Malaysia, remain big growth markets for Sentosa.

The Sentosa Leisure Group said more options will be added to the island's range of leisure and lifestyle offerings in the coming months to position it as a leisure and lifestyle destination.

For example, Palawan Beach will feature an 800m landscaped walkway that connects restaurants and the food court, and is scheduled to open next year.

The centrepiece of the Palawan Walk is a water-play area built around the replica of a giant pirate ship, which also houses a children's club and a family restaurant.

A Family Entertainment Centre will also be built on Palawan Beach to offer more family-themed activities in the area.

Plans for Sentosa's intra-island cableway, which will enhance connectivity between the different clusters of attractions on the island, is on track for completion in 2014.

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TODAY FILE PHOTO

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Singapore to open second casino

AFP - Tuesday, April 27


SINGAPORE, April 26, 2010 (AFP) – Singapore throws open the doors of its second casino Tuesday as part of a 5.5 billion US dollar complex built by US gaming giant Las Vegas Sands.

Marina Bay Sands, located next to the financial district, will open at the locally auspicious time of 3:18 pm (0718 GMT). The number eight sounds like the word for prosperity in Chinese.

Singapore gave the green light for casino gambling in 2005, setting off a flurry of construction that went ahead despite the city-state slipping into recession in 2008 because of the global financial crisis.

Its first casino, the 4.4 billion US-dollar Resorts World Sentosa, opened for business on February 14.

Marina Bay Sands was originally set to open at the end of 2009 but faced repeated delays caused by a number of factors, including material and labour shortages and financial problems due to the latest global economic downturn.

Tuesday's opening includes the casino and 963 out of 2,560 hotel rooms, a portion of the shopping mall, some restaurants, an exhibition centre and the events plaza.

The remaining hotel rooms and suites, a skypark and more shops will open on June 23, while a museum, theatres and other stores will start operations later in the year, the management said.

Officials hope the casinos will help Singapore achieve a target of attracting 17 million visitors a year generating over 21 billion US dollars by 2015, boosting the services sector and reducing the role of manufacturing in the economy.

Marina Bay Sands is designed to cater to the corporate and convention crowd while Resorts World is aimed at families.

Built by Malaysia's Genting Group, the Resorts World complex includes Southeast Asia's only Universal Studios movie theme park, hotels, restaurants and convention facilities.

Las Vegas Sands also has major operations in the Asian gaming haven of Macau.



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Tickets to Universal Studios Singapore opening day sold out

Universal Studio tickets sold out for opening day on 18th March!

SINGAPORE: Tickets for Universal Studios Singapore theme park went on sale at 9am on Wednesday, and those for the opening day on 18 March were sold out.

Resorts World Sentosa added that tickets for the first weekend were also selling fast.

The opening of the theme park has been much anticipated by both locals and tourists.

But the strong demand for tickets on the first day of sales caused some thrill seekers to experience difficulties when buying online or over the phone.

As a result, some resorted to going down to the box office at Resorts World Sentosa to get their tickets.

MediaCorp tried all day to buy tickets online, but the website either hung or refused to load. Similarly, calls to the booking hotline went unanswered.

Robin Goh, assistant director for communications at Resorts World Sentosa, said: "We do apologise to our guests for the inconvenience caused. But we have opened up more phone lines as well, as of 12pm this afternoon. And that will continue for the rest of today and hopefully the problems get solved tomorrow."

Those unable to buy tickets online or get through the hotline can send a purchase request via email. They can expect a response within 48 hours.

Channel NewsAsia - Thursday, March 11




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Universal Studios Singapore

Universal Studios Singapore

Universal Studio ticket counters

Finally, the date of the opening for Universal Studios Singapore has been set on18th March, 2010, 0828 hrs. Take note of the dates for those of you planning a Vacation Singapore!

Checking out the new Universal theme park

As Universal has termed this a soft opening, same-day tickets will not be available during the soft opening weeks. If you wish to visit, you will need to buy tickets in advance. This can be done online via www.rwsentosa.com or via the Resorts World Sentosa Call Centre (+65 6577 8899).

Universal Studios Singapore

Universal theme park - Hollywood

Universal Studios Singapore is a new theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island, Singapore. It is the second Universal Studios to open in Asia and the first in Southeast Asia.

Adding some local flavour

Resorts World Sentosa, one of two integrated resorts in Singapore and one of Asia’s largest family holiday destinations, comprises Universal Studios Singapore, four hotels, a casino and a host of shopping, dining and entertainment offerings.

Universal theme park

another section of the Universal theme park

Ticket prices for passes to Universal Studios Singapore will begin from SGD$32 for a senior-citizen day pass to SGD$118 for a two-day adult pass. Weekday rates will be from SGD$66 for an adult and SGD$48 for a child.

Ticket Type		Adult* (Ages 13 to 64)		Child* (Ages 4 to 12)		Senior* (Age 65 and above)
One Day Weekday1 Pass		66		48		32
One Day Weekend2 Pass		72		52		36
Two Day Pass		118		88		58
Annual Pass- Fun Pass6		318		238		188
Annual Pass- Superstar Pass		1,098		828		738

Ticket Type		Off- Peak3		Peak4		Super Peak5
Universal Express* (In addition to your admission ticket)		30		48		68

Weekday¹ refers to Monday to Fridays, excluding Black-Out Dates
Weekend² refers to Saturdays, Sundays and Black-Out Dates
Off Peak³ refers to Weekdays
Peak⁴ refers to Weekdays on School Holidays
Super Peak⁵ refers to Weekends and Black-Out Dates

For just one ticket charge, visitors will also get to enjoy non-stop live entertainment that takes them back to seven thematic worlds, as well as 30 theme restaurants and food carts and 20 theme retail stores and kiosks – all within the park.

Operation Hours:-
Weekdays: 0900 hrs - 1800 hrs
Weekends: 0900 hrs - 2100 hrs

A complimentary guide for guests with disabilities is available at Guest Services. The guide will explain boarding procedures and specific information relating to each attraction in the Universal Studios Singapore.

Here's a sneak peak into Universal Studios Singapore...

Packed with 24 attractions, 18 of them new or adapted for Singapore, the theme park boasts a collection of many world firsts: the world’s biggest single collection of DreamWorks Animation attractions; the world’s first Far Far Away Castle from the world of Shrek; the world’s first Madagascar theme park ride; the world’s tallest dueling roller coaster Battlestar Galactica, the world’s first Sci-Fi zone, and more.

Some of the attractions that you can look forward to:- Lights, Camera, Action (New York Zone) Accelerator (Sci- Fi City) Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi City) Revenge of the Mummy (Ancient Egypt) Treasure Hunters (Ancient Egypt) Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure (The Lost World) Dino Soarin’ (The Lost World) Amber Rock Climb (The Lost World) Canopy Flyer (The Lost World) Magic Potion Spin (Far Far Away) Enchanted Airways (Far Far Away) King Julien’s Party-Go-Round: (Madagascar) Madagascar: A Crate Adventure (Madagascar)

Thrilling roller coaster ride

Enter the thrilling world of movie magic as you “ride the movies” on roller coasters and other movie-themed attractions. Be dazzled and delighted by an immersive entertainment experience that brings the silver screen to life.

Universal Studios Singapore




Universal theme park - Madagascar

More pictures at the Universal Studios Singapore


Universal Theme Park - Ancient Egypt



Universal Theme Park - Ancient Egypt

Jurassic Park

The Lost World

Far Far Away - a fairy tale

WaterWorld

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Resorts World Sentosa Island

Resorts World Sentosa Asia's Ultimate Family Destination

Today, 20th January 2010, marks the soft opening of Resorts World on Sentosa Island. The first of two integrated resorts in Singapore, the ribbon cutting ceremony and lion dance at 0818hrs marked the beginning of the opening of four hotels on Sentosa Island.

Resorts World at Sentosa is a world-class family resort which is designed as a collection of resorts within a resort so visitors can have a multi-resort experience.

Resorts World Sentosa’s four hotels - Festive Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Crockfords Tower and Hotel Michael – offer a combined inventory of 1,350 rooms and 10 restaurant outlets at their opening. Another two hotels at the Resort, Equarius Hotel and Spa Villas, will add another 500 rooms when they launch after 2010.

Hotel Michael

Crockfords Tower

Festive Hotel

Hard Rock Hotel Singapore


The opening is a milestone of one of the world's most extensive and expensive integrated resorts at US$4.4 billion and which was build in a record time of under three years. Southeast Asia's only Universal Studios theme park and Resort World's luxurious casino are both expected to open soon together with the Compass Ballroom, 26 function rooms and a 1,600 seat Festive Grand theatre.

Supporting the attractions will be a 3,500-lot car-park facility, restaurants, retail stores, entertainment and public attractions that include Emmy-award winner Jeremy Railton’s Lake of Dreams and Chamber of Treasures.

Resorts World at Sentosa, Singapore's Integrated Resort (IR), is a casino resort offering attractions, hotels, spa, casino and meetings & incentive venues. Having just opened, the hotels are already seeing a creditable average occupancy of 80 per cent at its hotels on weekends.

No date has been fixed for the opening of the Universal Studios Singapore theme park at Resorts World Sentosa yet and the casino will open once the integrated resort receives the operation licence from the authorities.



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