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FEATURE www.travelweeklyweb.com Ideas, Ideas, Ideas The Kinetic Rain at Singapore's Changi International Airport Airports are going all the way out to innovate and introduce comfortable changes that enhance a travellers' experience. In a survey done by Amadeus that was released in November last year, emotional and sensory factors topped the list of priorities that travellers look for when asked on their expectations of additional developments within the airport ecosystem by the year 2025. For leisure and business travellers alike, there is a clear desire for the earliest possible removal of stress. Achieving this implies making the airport and flying part of the overall experience rather than a 'process step' on route to the experience, and transforming the airport into a culturally sensitive and authentic destination in its own right. Let's take a look at some of these examples for airports that have gained the eyeballs for reinventing themselves and putting forth a different approach to create a different travel experience for their guests, even before they take off. Themed airports are getting right to the heart of many passengers, giving them the break they require from the rigidity and almost clinical typical setting of an airport. Get Seoul Passengers will get to understand Seoul, the moment they land 6 | ■ TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA | MARCH 2013 at the Incheon International Airport. The airport houses a National Korean Museum, an initiative by the South Korean government to promote the cultures. And if you're lucky, you may be able to catch a "time traveller" scene where people in traditional garbs used in the past, will walk around the airport and let you in on the rich history behind the Korean traditions. Purrrfect remedy for jetlags For the kitty lovers, the Taipei Taoyuan International Airport may soothe your headaches from jet lags. That's because you can immerse yourself in a kitty world, with the Hello Kitty themed facilities made available at the terminal. Raindrops Singapore's Changi International Airport has about everything, almost. A butterfly garden? Checked. The tallest indoor slide? Checked. A movie house and rooms for napping? Checked. And the latest fad is the Kinetic Rain installation at Terminal 1, which features 1,216 raindrops made of aluminium and highly polished copper, controlled by 1,216 individual motors, swirl and dance to depict the joy of travel. www.travelweeklyweb.com