How Marina IR can change S'pore tourism

How Marina IR can change S'pore tourism











SINGAPORE- INTEGRATED resort Marina Bay Sands will probably take three to seven years to reach a capacity that can help spur Singapore's tourism and convention industries, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said yesterday. This length of time will be necessary because the resort is a very big project, he said.

Marina Bay Sands cost its owner, American casino-resort company Las Vegas Sands, US$5.5 billion (S$7.5 billion). People also have to come and see the resort for themselves and enjoy it before word of mouth can help bring in more customers, MM Lee noted. He said: "Word has got to spread. And it can't spread at just one news conference or one display."

But once it is running at full steam, it will increase the number of visitors who come here for conventions, and the amount of tourism trade, by many times, he said. By that time, it will also "transform the nightlife of Singapore", he said.



He was speaking to journalists during his first official visit to Marina Bay Sands yesterday, ahead of its opening today.

He added that he wanted to visit the resort because he was interested to see "what are the bare-bone workings of it", so that he can form his own impressions of what he thought would be its chances of succeeding.

Mr Sheldon Adelson, the chairman of Las Vegas Sands, said that Mr Lee was being "a little too pessimistic".

He s a i d : "We'll be up and running at full speed by next year. A property like (Marina Bay Sands)...normally will take about a year to ramp (up)."

On the delay of Marina Bay Sands' opening, he said: "When you build a new property like this, everybody says (it'll) never open on time. But a property like this has to open in phases. We'll ramp up and do extremely well. The indications are very positive."

Originally, Marina Bay Sands was to have opened at the end of last year, but its first phase opened only on April 27. But Mr Adelson agreed that Mr Lee was right about the need for word on the development to get out so that people will get to know about it. Yesterday, MM Lee was given a tour of the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the retail and dining area beside it, and the casino.

He was also given a sneak preview of the Sands SkyPark - located on the rooftop 200m above ground, which links the three hotel towers and houses swimming pools, restaurants and a viewing deck - which opens to the public tomorrow. Today, the resort will open its remaining 1,598 hotel rooms, more shops and restaurants, as well as additional facilities at its convention centre. In the coming year, other facilities, such as a museum and theatre, are slated to open.

On his impressions of Marina Bay Sands, Mr Lee said he found the resort luxurious and that its "striking, splendid" buildings add "to the landscape in a dramatic fashion".

MBS opens with a splash

MBS opens with a splash
By Rachel Chan, my paper Thu, Jun 24 2010
Close to 500,000 people have visited the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino so far this month.




CLOSE to 500,000 people have visited the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino so far this month - a number that MBS chief executive and president Thomas Arasi said that its management is "very happy with".

An average of 25,000 punters passed through the casino daily in the first seven weeks of operation, said Las Vegas Sands president and chief operating officer Michael Leven.

Mr Leven said that the Venetian Macao, another Las Vegas Sands-owned casino, sees 70,000 visitors daily.

Yesterday afternoon, Singapore's second integrated resort celebrated its grand opening.

It marked the occasion with events such as a concert starring Diana Ross and former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland and an extreme-stunt performance that saw eight sky divers leap off a helicopter, seeming to fly between three gates formed by giant balloons above the SkyPark, located on the rooftop 200m above ground.

All the 2,560 hotel rooms and suites are now available, whereas at the April 27 soft launch, only 963 were. There are now 80 shops and food-andbeverage outlets open, versus 35 shops and a more limited range of restaurants then.

The entire integrated resort (IR) - not just the casino - is expected to attract 18 million visitors - over 49,000 a day - when fully open. Construction of the entire MBS, including that of the two theatres, whose completions were delayed, is set to be finished by the end of this year.

With both IRs up and running, the Singapore Tourism Board is projecting 11.5 million to 12.5 million visitor arrivals this year - an increase of 20 to 30 per cent from a year ago. Singapore should rake in $17.5 billion to $18.5 billion in tourism receipts, up 40 to 50 per cent from a year ago.

The much-anticipated Sky- Park opens to the public today.

Mr Jean-Baptiste Debains, president of Louis Vuitton Asia- Pacific; Mr Michael Ault, owner of the exclusive Pangaea clubs; Mr Steven Adelman, co-founder of celebrity club Avalon, and Ms Claire Chiang, co-founder of Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, were also at the press conference to assure 1,100 journalists that their projects at MBS were on track to open.

Banyan Tree is opening a 20,000-sq ft spa in six months, while Louis Vuitton's store will open at the end of the year.

Asked about recent complaints by the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (Ipba) over power cuts, construction noise and other issues, Mr Leven denied that the glitches were because the resort had opened too soon.

"All projects (of this size and capability) open in stages. At this time, enough of the resort is open to satisfy guests' requirements," he said.

Las Vegas Sands is seeking to settle the dispute with Ipba, which is refusing to pay a $300,000 bill for using MBS' premises for a conference early last month.

"Our policy is to make love, not war... We want to resolve this amicably if we can," said Mr Sheldon Adelson, chief executive of Las Vegas Sands.

Glitz and glamour at Marina Bay Sands opening

Glitz and glamour at Marina Bay Sands opening
Posted: 23 June 2010 2209 hrs

VIPs and guests at MBS opening







SINGAPORE : It was a day of glitz and glamour at the opening of the Marina Bay Sands (MBS).

Grammy award-winning star Kelly Rowland - the headline act of the outdoor concert - wowed the crowd.

She was among the artistes who put on a power-packed performance on Wednesday.

The slight drizzle did not dampen the mood, and it was a real musical fiesta there with the likes of singers JJ Lin and Kelly Rowland performing.

But the main highlight has to be the legendary Diana Ross who performed on Wednesday night to 2,500 selected VIPs at the Sands Grand Ballroom.

Guests to the grand opening were also treated to a dazzling display in the sky, parachute jumps, as well as a Tower Climb competition at the Marina Bay Sands.

21 professional climbers scaled one of the three 55-storey hotel tower of Marina Bay Sands. The race is part of MBS' opening festivities.

"I am definitely excited. This is such a milestone for Singapore and it puts us on the world map when it comes to entertainment and tourist industry," said Singapore celebrity Andrea De Cruz.

"I am very excited to be here to perform. Looking at the crowd, it really is such a huge deal, so I am amazed by everything," said Sylvia Ratonel, a finalist of the Singapore Idol 2010.

But some VIPs found themselves stuck in a queue which snaked out to the road.

"I'm surprised to be standing at the side of the road, queuing. But such is the nature of the event. I suppose it's packed and everyone wants to be here. We have to go through security and this is the process," said Michael Palmer, MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.

However, guests were impressed with the grandeur of the integrated resort. And there's no doubt that it's already a Singapore icon. - CNA /ls

Singapore's Marina Bay Sands opens

SINGAPORE: Singapore's second integrated resort, the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) formally opened Wednesday, with its owner Sheldon G. Adelson, Chairman of Las Vegas Sands Corp saying it would become the benchmark for future tourism development elsewhere.

"The MBS is not a casino-centric development project as in the old days," Adelson said.

He explained that his company's latest US$5.5 billion Singapore resort is a multi-amenities integrated facility which caters to all categories of visitors.

"It is like the bicycle spokes. Previously, the spokes led to the hub, where the casino was, but now lead to all amenities," he told a media crowd of about 1,100 journalists and television crew from over 60 countries, specially brought in for the resorts opening celebrations.



Adelson highlighted that among Las Vegas Sands Corp's integrated resorts, the MBS is the fourth, with the casino only occupying less than 10 per cent of its amenities.

He said for countries serious about boosting tourism and creating new jobs, the integrated resort model was unmatched.

"The MBS will now be the reference point by which all new tourism projects will be judged," he added.

He also said Singapore was already benefitting from the MBS with its tourist arrival figures on the rise since its soft opening on April 27.

The resort has been receiving about 125,000 visitors daily and about 500,000 people entered the casino this month.

Adelson said the casino expected its visitors to come from three market segments.

The primary segment he explained, comprised Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia with the second being Thailand and the Indo-Chinese countries while the third has Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea, Japan, India and the Philippines.

According to Adleson, he planned to open similar integrated resorts in the Mediterranean region, either in Spain, Greece or Italy, and in Seoul or Inchon in Korea, if local laws are in tune with his company's policy.

As part of the opening celebration, the rest of the hotel's 2,560 rooms and suites were thrown open for guests, along with additional shops, restaurants and facilities at Asia's largest expo and convention centre at the MBS.

Tomorrow, the much-anticipated 340-metre long rooftop strip, Sands SkyPark, will open. It is shaped like a floating ship in the sky and sits 60 stories high on three hotel towers like cricket-stumps and features swimming pools and gardens.

The MBS will continue to open additional features including theaters, a museum and crystal pavilions next year.

-- BERNAMA





Read more: http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20100623161641/Article/#ixzz0rk0jd3zu

25,000 visit Marina Bay Sands casino daily

People queue up to enter the Marina Bay Sands casino in Singapore

25,000 visit Marina Bay Sands casino daily



SINGAPORE : The casino at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) sees an average of 25,000 visitors every day - a third being Singaporeans.

This was revealed at the official opening of Singapore's second integrated resort (IR) on Wednesday.

Marina Bay Sands refused to disclose revenue figures, only to say it is on track to meet the projected revenue of over US$1 billion by 2012. 60-70 per cent of this is expected from the casino floors.

Marina Bay Sands' CEO Thomas Arasi said this month alone, some 500,000 people passed through its casino.

In contrast, Resorts World Sentosa, which opened its casino during the Lunar New Year period in February, said it saw some 60,000 punters at its casino within three days of opening.

In a statement to MediaCorp, Resorts World Sentosa said: "As an integrated resort, Resorts World Sentosa focuses on increasing visitor numbers to the entire resort, and not only the casino. The resort is on track to hitting its target of 13 million visitors a year. This breaks down to over 1 million visitors a month."

Marina Bay Sands was quick to add that unlike other entities in Las Vegas, its casino is not a hub but a destination in itself.

Sheldon Adelson, Chairman & CEO of Las Vegas Sands said: "I know that MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions) facilities don't make money; showrooms don't make money. If you spend US$150-250million, building a theatre and producing a show, you can't get a return on it, so we need the casino to subsidise those returns.

"These amenities feed on one another and I don't believe that any casino should be more than 10 per cent of the total amount of built space."

The casino at Marina Bay Sands makes up just under 2 per cent of its entire floor area.

Marina Bay Sands has given the assurance that proper safeguards are in place to prevent problem gambling.

It was also revealed that a few minors slipped through security to enter the gaming floors in the early days of the casino opening.

"Basically those problems were training problems with the security guards... We think we've gotten over that. The safeguards, in terms of addictive gambling, we have that in our rules and regulations to try and identify those individuals in that category," said Michael Levin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Las Vegas Sands.

Separately, Adelson said he is ready to work out a settlement with the Inter Pacific Bar Association over an ongoing lawsuit.

The association held the first major conference at the resort.

But the event was besieged with problems, which included a power outage at one of the meetings.

"Our policy is to make love, not war. In the 40-year history of my being in the trade show and convention business, I have only sued two people. We don't want this to be perpetuated, we want to resolve the matter amicably if we can and finish it," said Adelson.

About 65 per cent of the integrated resort is now open. That includes all the 2,500 hotel rooms, convention facilities and about one-third of the retail shores.

The museum and theatre is expected to open by the end of the year and the flagship show "The Lion King" is expected to start its run by the end of the first quarter of 2011. - CNA/jy/ls

Why Singapore?

Two years ago, Jim Rogers sold his New York home, packed his bags, and left for Singapore. If you spend no more than three minutes on the ground here, you will see why.

For the internationalist, Singapore is as close to ‘perfect’ as could possibly be imagined:

1) It’s clean. And I mean eat-off-the-streets clean. Most big cities (Buenos Aires, New York, even Paris) feel like they need a good pressure wash… not Singapore. The air quality is clear, the bay water is blue, and the buildings almost glisten in the sunlight.

2) Everything just works. One of the problems you frequently encounter when you move overseas is that normal, everyday things aren’t up to the same standards that you are used to… internet service goes down, the hot water heater breaks frequently, the gas stations arbitrarily shut down, etc.

In Singapore, you can expect exactly the same standard of service and excellence as you would in London or San Francisco.

3) What crime? It doesn’t exist. Singapore is one of the safest countries in the world, right up there with Dubai and Vatican City. Ironically, visible police presence is minimal, contrary to western opinion that cops are walking around caning people for spitting on the street.

Singapore is a very popular place to visit. It is a melting pot of Chinese, Malay, Indian, Arabic and Western cultures. It is also one of the unique places in the world where there are in fact no conflicts between the cultures. Singapore is considered to be one of the safest places in the world! The homicide rate is only 0.38 per 100 000 inhabitants. This is extraordinary low if we compare it for example with Venezuela and Honduras that have 58 and 52 intentional homicides per 100,000 people respectively.

4) Great amenities. Healthcare in Singapore is second-to-none; in fact, it is promoting itself heavily as a medical tourism destination. Check out the Parkway Health center for more information.

The nightlife in Singapore is also pretty good… it’s not as wild as, say, Manila or Bangkok (darts, anyone?), but I would say it’s just as nice as London– plenty of restaurant choices, nightclubs, go-go bars, shopping, etc.

5) Last but not least, Singapore is open for business. It seems as if a bunch of really sharp entrepreneurs sat together in a back room somewhere several decades ago and devised plans for their own version of Galt’s Gulch.

Everything in Singapore is designed for business, and entrepreneurs in particular– from the residency program to investment incentives, I’m hard-pressed to think of a government that is more supportive of commerce than Singapore.

They are doing everything they can to attract the brightest minds and the best business people, all of whom make the city-state a better place.

I’m most impressed with the financial infrastructure, which I will be discussing in more detail tomorrow. Banking and corporate structures in Singapore are so clean and transparent, I would be shocked if it weren’t THE dominant world financial center in 20-years, and likely 10-years.

So is there any downside? Sure.

For starters, the cost of living can be ridiculous– Housing is by far the biggest expense, with average sales price for residential property in the neighborhood of 1,000 Singapore dollars per square foot, roughly $700 (US)… so a little 2-bedroom apartment will set you back about a half-million. Not cheap.

Fortunately, other things aren’t too bad. Food at the grocery store is actually quite reasonable, and the quality is excellent… so if you are into organic living, you won’t have any problems in Singapore.

Gas prices are also reasonable– diesel fuel runs about $3.30 / gallon, and a taxi ride just about anywhere in town will only set you back a couple of bucks.

And as for that dinner out on the town? Expect to pay Chicago prices, plates ranging from $15 to $50 depending on the quality of the restaurant. A Big Mac will set you back about $2.90 (US).

Testimonial of Tushar Salokhe

I am very thankful and grateful towards you for the support and co-operation.

All the experience in Singapore through the course was unforgettable.



In future also if somebody ask me I will recommend the Nanyang, where all teachers are initative, helpful,and motivate the students for bright future.



I am not going empty handed from Nanyang but carrying treasury of knowledge which will be helpful in my work place.



I will be going to New Zealand for work and will give first priority to Nanyang for my postgraduate studies.



Once again thank you very much!



Tushar Salokhe

Marina Bay Sands SkyPark: A view to die for!!!

Marina Bay Sands SkyPark: A view to die for!!!
By Angela Lim – June 21st, 2010




After months of anticipation, the “surfboard” sitting atop the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) is ready to be unveiled to the public this Thursday.

Yahoo! Singapore got an early sneak peek at what is officially known as the SkyPark, and all I’ve got to say is — prepare to be wowed.

Standing at a dizzying 200m, the S$150 million SkyPark is a spacious lifestyle venue the size of two football fields or 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Designed like a tropical resort, the Skypark features stone walkways lined with timber decks and palm trees surrounding the infinity pool and jacuzzi tubs.

The public observation deck offers a glorious view of both the city skyline and the Marina Bay seafront. Check out the spectacular panoramic view from the top.

Enhancing the stunning landscape is the 150m infinity pool – the highest swimming pool in the country – that fittingly seems to stretch endlessly into the horizon. Hotel guests get to splash in and enjoy a luxurious dip more than 50 storeys above ground.

The up-and-coming rooftop hangout also houses a variety of restaurants and bars perfect for soaking in the breathtaking view. At $20, $14 and $17 for adult, child and senior citizen admissions respectively, the SkyPark costs less than the Singapore Flyer (S$29.50 for adult admission), which it overlooks.

For those who have been watching the progress of the SkyPark’s construction, the ”surfboard” is actually curved like a boomerang when one is viewing it from one end to another. Rimmed by 2m-high glass panels,visitors can get right up to the edge of the observation deck jutting out over the hotel towers for a spine-tingling view.





As part of its opening celebration this Wednesday, MBS is hosting the first-ever World Championship Climb in which 21 professional climbers will scale the facade of the three interlinked 55-storey hotel towers to the SkyPark on the 57th floor.

Hot favourite Team Commonwealth climber, Tim Emmett, 36, tells Yahoo! Singapore that this competition is a “first ever” for him and that MBS is the tallest building he’s scaled so far.

“It is a beautiful piece of architecture with the infinity pools and an incredible view. Can’t wait to take a splash after I’m done with the climb!” he gushes.

22-year-old student Marcus Chan tells Yahoo! Singapore, “The S$20 admission is slightly pricey but I’m curious to find out if the view from up there is really that amazing.”

MBS CEO Thomas Arasi sums up the top-of-the-world experience best by saying, “It is like a stage set before the city and the waterfront…When you are up at the Skypark, you will feel as if you are sitting on a cloud overlooking everything around you.”