Northstar

Destination Singapore 34 MAY-JUN 2019 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MCMAG-ASIA.COM A familiar pitstop on the international business events circuit, Singapore has come o successive record highs in tourist arrivals. In 2018, the island city- state welcomed over 2.7 million visitors for business events, representing a healthy 10% increase. Exciting times lie ahead for the city. Over the next few years, Singapore is due to receive several large-scale tourism developments that will pack more diverse oerings within an already compact destination. In addition to the rejuvenation and expansion of integrated resorts and leisure attractions, a second central business district is being mapped out in the western part of the island that could help Singapore attract business events, especially those from new and emerging industries. "There continues to be signs of condence in Singapore's tourism sector over the longer term. There is a strong pipeline of investments into hotels, attractions and other tourism infrastructure," said Keith Tan, chief spanning 164,000sqm will be added, increasing the size of its current attractions by 50%. Its waterfront promenade area will be revamped with dining options, two new hotels with about 1,100 rooms, and a 37-metre-tall public attraction with free evening light shows. The changes will be rolled out progressively, with at least one per year as part of the reinvestment. The move will cater to the Jurong Lake District. executive of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). "The broad point to make is that Singapore is always on the lookout for areas and districts that we can rejuvenate," Tan explained. "We look to remake places to be more in line with trends, times and expectations of 'bleisure' visitors." The rejuvenation eorts touch on areas from Sentosa Island to the entire Southern Waterfront, Jurong, Mandai and Orchard Road. Excitement has been building over the announced expansion of the island's two integrated resorts through a massive S$9 billion (US$6.61 billion) investment by 2026. The lofty plans for Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) will inject new tourism and MICE facilities, as well as attractions. Among the key developments at MBS are a fourth tower, a 15,000-seat arena focused on entertainment, and expanded meeting and event spaces by about 30 to 40%. At RWS, several new attractions A pipeline of tourism developments and a new central business district could attract emerging industries for business events. WORDS NAOMI NEOH Shining Up More Jewels HEADLINERS OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS • Billed as Asia's largest F&B trade event, Food&HotelAsia – HoReCa and F&B 2020 will be expanded into two shows that will attract over 45,000 delegates. • Events in professional services are expected to attract close to 10,050 delegates. • Technology events such as Oracle OpenWorld Asia 2019, Ingram Micro One APAC 2019 and SAP Field Kick- Off Meeting 2020 and 2021 will draw a combined 6,000 delegates.

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