Singapore Gardens 'top Eid attraction'

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