Projected number of rooms As of first quarter 2010, the Urban Redevelopment Authority had 15,031 hotel rooms in the pipeline, most of which are expected to be completed between the second quarter of 2010 and 2013.
Tipping policy Tipping is not a common practice as a 10 per cent service charge is included in the bill. Shopping Explore Arab Street, Chinatown and Little India for unique home décor, handicrafts and accessories. Maximise two hours of free time Take a jaunt down Orchard Road to see how it has changed.
Average occupancy rate/Average room rate Overall average occupancy
Overall average room rate
Total number of rooms
2008
81%
S$245.90
37,000
2009
76%
S$191.00
39,000
2010 (Jan-Aug)
85.9%
S$209.60
42,000
Source: Singapore Tourism Board New hotels in 2010 The Fullerton Bay Hotel 100 rooms Marina Bay Sands Hotel 2,500 rooms Hotel Michael 473 rooms Festive Hotel 387 rooms Hard Rock Hotel 364 rooms Crockfords Tower 120 rooms The Saff Hotel 79 rooms The Club Boutique Hotel 22 rooms
Lunch on your own Swing down to Dempsey Hill, a green pocket in the city centre offering a variety of pubs, bistros and restaurants. Late nights Visit Clarke Quay for its dance clubs and themed bars that feature live music of various genres. Electricity Singapore’s voltage is 220-240 AC, 50 Hz. Most hotels can provide a transformer to convert it to 110-120 AC, 60 Hz. Visa requirements Foreigners holding travel documents issued by the following countries will require either a business or social visit visa to enter Singapore: Assessment level one countries: Commonwealth of Independent States (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan), India, Myanmar, China and holders of Hong Kong Document of Identity and Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Travel Permit. Assessment level two countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, and holders of Palestinian Authority Passport, Temporary Passport issued by the UAE and Refugee Travel Document issued by Middle East countries.
New hotels in 2011 Spa Villas 40 rooms Equarius Hotel 372 rooms Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort 454 rooms New attractions/tourism infrastructure Gardens by the bay, spanning 101ha, comprises Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central, located across the mouth of the Singapore River in the heart of downtown Marina Bay. Dining and retail outlets will open in November 2011. www.gardensbythebay.org.sg International Cruise Terminal at Marina South will double Singapore’s berth capacity to four when it is completed end-2011. The S$500 million facility will ease the capacity crunch at the Singapore Cruise Centre. Knightsbridge is a four-storey luxury shopping centre integrated within the newly refurbished Grand Park Orchard hotel. It will be fully operational in 2011. www.knightsbridge.com.sg Resorts World Sentosa, which opened its Universal Studios theme park, casino and four hotels in 2010, is now gearing up for Phase 2 attractions such as the Marine Life Park and Maritime Xperiential Museum. www.rwsentosa.com Marina Bay Sands will be launching additional attractions such as two state-of-the-art theatres and two crystal pavilions, one housing a Louis Vuitton “island” boutique, and the other, an ultra-lounge bar Pangaea and nightclub Avalon, in 2011. www.marinabaysands.com
Prices of common items in 2010 Bottled water S$1.20 Starbucks latte (small) S$5.30 A glass of open wine at a pub S$15 Taxi fare (2km) S$5 Important contacts NTO The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) was first established as the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board in 1964. It now has an extensive network of 22 regional offices and two marketing representatives across eight regions. Apart from courting the leisure market, STB has a Business Travel & MICE Group to promote Singapore as a premier business events destination. Contact: Tourism Court, 1 Orchard Spring Lane, Singapore 247729; tel: (65) 6736-6622; fax: (65) 6736-9423; email: STB_Visitsingapore@stb.gov.sg www.visitsingapore.com Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau Email: secb@stb.gov.sg http://visitsingapore.com/businessevents Travel trade associations National Association of Travel Agents Singapore www.natas.travel Singapore Hotel Association www.sha.org.sg Association of Singapore Attractions www.singapore-attractions.com
SKÅL INTERNATIONAL ASIAN AREA
Key events and festivals 2011 The Singapore Arts Festival (May 13 to June 5) Organiser: The National Arts Council www.singaporeartsfest.com Singapore Food Festival (July) Organiser: Singapore Tourism Board www.singaporefoodfestival.com.sg Formula 1 Grand Prix (September 23 to 25) Organiser: Singapore GP www.singaporegp.sg Singapore Sun Festival (October) Organiser: IMG Artists www.singaporesunfestival.com Zouk Out (December) Organiser: Zouk Club www.zoukout.com
Insider’s tip for half a day off Head to the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark’s observation deck at night, where live bands play from 18.30 to 22.00, Fridays to Mondays. Need to impress clients’ lunch The Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa integrated resorts brought several Michelin-starred restaurants to Singapore’s shores. Take your pick.
Pacific Asia Travel Association www.patasingapore.org.sg ASEAN Tourism Association www.aseanta.org
Essentials in the city Food Singapore has a vast variety of culinary delights from different ethnic cultures, including its own darling dish – chilli crab, which is a must-try. Quirky Singaporeans are not incapable of speaking the Queen’s English. They merely prefer to punctuate their sentences with “lah” or ‘loh’ for a Singaporean touch.
JULY, 2012 - JUNE, 2013
317