Singapore Gardens 'top Eid attraction'
Dubai: 1
hour and 44 minutes ago
Singapore’s 'Gardens by the Bay,' the
billion-dollar super park that exhibits more than 220,000 plants from around
the globe, will be a top attraction for the visting Gulf
families this Eid, said a senior tourism official.
Mohamed Hafez Marican, the area director
for Middle East and Africa, the
Singapore Tourism Board (STB), said the on-target visitor numbers indicate
that the city-state will be a top Eid Al-Fitr destination for Gulf families
this summer, thanks to an array of newly opened family-friendly attractions.
“Singapore
offers a multi-ethnic twist on Eid Al-Fitr, and Gardens by the Bay is a sight
that visitors will not want to miss out on,” he noted.
According to him, Singapore has already received more
than 14,000 visitors from the UAE for the first quarter, an 18 per cent
increase compared to the same period in 2011.
Earlier this summer, STB predicted a 20 per cent
spike in the number of Gulf visitors to Singapore, he stated.
Gardens by the Bay spans an impressive 101
hectares and is nestled in the heart of Singapore’s new downtown, near the
Marina Bay Sands, a spectacular destination for entertainment, business and
shopping.
The super park showcases 18, massive steel
‘supertrees’ that shoot up through the foliage, illuminating Singapore’s already sparkling
skyline. The 25- to 50-meter-tall tree-like structures, designed by
landscape-architecture consultant Grant Associates, in collaboration with
Wilkinson Eyre Architects, also aid in Singapore’s green initiative, collecting
rainwater, generating solar power, and acting as venting ducts for the park’s
conservatory,' Marican explained.
The Gardens, he said, exhibit more than 220,000
plants from every continent except Antarctica,
with 163,000 plants of more than 200 species of bromeliads, orchids, ferns, and
tropical climbing flowers.
'The cooled-dry conservatory, the Flower Dome,
features flora from the Mediterranean and semi-arid subtropical regions,
allowing nature lovers to get up close and personal with plant species like
baobabs, indigenous to Madagascar, bottle trees, olive trees and date palms.
The Cloud Forest, a moist yet cool complex, houses a 35-metre tall mountain
complete with the tallest indoor waterfall enfolded in abundant greenery,' he
noted.
'Until December 2012, avid fans of the highly
addictive smartphone game can also unleash their creative talents in workshops,
play at interactive game stations, and dine on eccentric Angry Birds meals.
Tickets are available at Imbiah Lookout on Sentosa, Harbourfront Tower 2 and
The Jewel Box,' said Marican.
Tickets are priced at Dh105 ($28.5) for adults and Dh 66 for children, while
family packages start at Dh200.
According to Marican, the Gulf visitors’ holiday
schedule can be planned, organized and tracked with the official YourSingapore
travel application, available on the AppStore and in Android Market.
The app offers users access to information about
latest events, dining venues, shopping, history and culture and more, he added.
Sources:
http://www.tradearabia.com/news/TTN_220489.html