Drumming up cheer this year-end festive season will be the myriad performances, shopping deals and celebratory events that are lined up for Singapore’s Christmas in the Tropics 2008, to be held from 15 November 2008 to 2 January 2009.

Among the annual highlights of Christmas in the Tropics is the highly anticipated Christmas Light-up, which will mark its 25th anniversary this year. President S.R. Nathan will be the guest-of-honour for the switch-on ceremony on the 15 November 2008 at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza.

Themed ‘A Sweet Christmas in Singapore’, the decorations will centre around the Sweet Family who live in Christmas Town and run a Sweet Shoppe. The family is celebrating Christmas in Singapore and spreading sweet cheer along Orchard Road and the Marina Bay, which will be transformed into a fantasy candy wonderland. The light-up is conceptualised by Creative Director Dick Lee and will feature a landscape adorned with colourful gumdrops, candy cane street lamps, delectable cupcake houses and giant doughnuts. Continue Reading

Service personnel from the retail, nightspot and F&B industries as well as the sightseeing attractions around Singapore are expected to receive a boost when the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) launches its plans to prepare them to welcome visitors during the Formula One race period.

Up to 2000 service personnel from key service industries will undergo a four-hour training, specially designed to refresh participants on the finer points of providing good customer service as well as provide essential information on the race and the Singapore GP Season, a lifestyle festival of entertainment and events. Continue Reading

Changes to the designation of corner numbers will mean that the Marina Bay circuit is officially reduced from 24 to 23 corners for the 2008 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix on 28th September. The change in designation reflects amendments to Turn 10, at the end of St Andrew’s Road which passes City Hall and The Padang.

“Previously what was Turn 10 and 11 was actually 3 corners close together in a chicane configuration, created to provide the right geometry and corner speeds, due to the lack of straight ahead run off in this part of the circuit” said Singapore GP Director–Technical & Race Operations, Michael McDonough. “As it is created solely around what is in effect the approach to one corner it was determined, in association with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, that one turn number (Turn 10) be used with a, b and c identifying the change in geometry through the turn.”

In addition, there have been further changes to offer additional grandstand seating to accommodate overwhelming demand. In just five months, over 92% of the tickets to the 2008 Formula 1™ SingTel Singapore Grand Prix have been sold. Continue Reading

Singapore’s Merlion at Merlion Park will be closed for routine cleaning from 27 June to 6 July 2008.

The works have been scheduled to be completed in time for the National Day Celebrations. During the cleaning, the Merlion will be hoarded up for safety considerations.

The Merlion was first built as an eight-metre tall sculpture in 1972 and located at the mouth of the Singapore River to “welcome all visitors to Singapore”. Commissioned for approximately $165,000 in 1971 by the Singapore Tourism Board (then known as the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board), it was built by Mr Lim Nang Seng, a local craftsman who had won several prizes in the Singapore Handicraft and Design competition.

The Merlion was formally installed on 15 September 1972 by the then Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. On 15 September 2002, the Merlion was moved to its current location at Merlion Park next to One Fullerton, and now overlooks the scenic Marina Bay.

Singapore, – IHG strengthens its commitment to Vietnam, announcing the addition of InterContinental Hanoi Landmark, Vietnam’s tallest hotel, to its growing list of InterContinental Hotels & Resorts under development. The company has signed an agreement with Korea-based Keangnam Enterprises to develop the brand new luxury hotel in the centre of West Hanoi. Targeted to open in early 2011, InterContinental Hanoi Landmark will have 383 rooms and suites and 300 serviced residences, occupying the upper floors of the 70-storey, 336-metre Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower. The development is expected to be among the 20 tallest buildings in the world.

InterContinental Hanoi Landmark will be strategically located in the centre of the capital city’s new commercial, business, entertainment and retail district and a short walk from the new National Convention Centre. It will be part of a major US$1 billion, 46,000 square metre city centre complex with premium apartments, offices and retail outlets. Continue Reading

The extremely convenient underground public walkway connecting Suntec Singapore to City Hall MRT Subway is now open. Completed as part of the City Link extension, the opening of the underground walkway will allow visitors to Suntec Singapore and its vicinity to experience seamless and air-conditioned comfort from City Hall MRT subway.

“Connectivity is key to the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions & exhibitions) business and with the opening of the underpass, it will further enhance Suntec Singapore’s prime location as a self-contained “city-within-a-city”, where facilities are all interconnected and easily accessible via air-conditioned passageway and covered walkways,” said Pieter Idenburg, Chief Executive Officer of Suntec Singapore.

Suntec Singapore, opened in 1995, is one of Asia’s leading convention and exhibition centres. With the new underpass, visitors to the convention centre can conveniently be at City Hall MRT subway, a major subway interchange for trains to various locations within Singapore, in under 10 minutes.

CityLink Mall, Singapore’s first underground pedestrian mall, links Suntec Singapore and its vicinity to the City Hall MRT subway. Come 2010, the underpass will also serve commuters using the Esplanade MRT subway, which will be located directly beneath the convention centre.

In April 2008, Singapore welcomed 826,000 visitors, representing a growth of 0.8% as compared to the same month a year ago. This was a new record for visitor arrivals for the month of April. Visitor days were estimated to reach 3.3 million days, an increase of 9.9% in comparison with April 2007.

Indonesia (131,000), P.R. China (107,000), Australia (63,000), India (63,000) and Malaysia (53,000) were Singapore’s top five visitor-generating markets. These markets accounted for 51% of total visitor arrivals for the month.

Singapore gazetted hotels were estimated to reap Sin$186 million in room revenue, representing a growth of 30.1% versus April 2007.

The Average Room Rate (ARR) in April 2008 was estimated to be Sin$254, representing an increase of 32.5% over April 2007. The Average Occupancy Rate (AOR) for hotels was estimated to reach 84% in April 2008, posting a 1 percentage point decrease over April 2007. Revenue Per Available Room (Revpar) grew by 30.9% to reach Sin$212 for April 2008.

Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines are terminating the Shuttle Agreement on their services between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, with effect from 1 June 2008. The two national carriers started the Shuttle in 1982, in response to demand for shuttle-like flights between the two cities.

The termination of the Shuttle Agreement will not reduce frequencies or change the fact that a wide variety of fares are now available on the route. The Shuttle Agreement provided for the carriers to agree on a common fare to charge customers who turned up at the airport on standby for the next flight.

The progressive deregulation of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route and the ever-increasing use of the Internet for a variety of transactions such as booking of tickets and check-in (even at the last minute), has changed the travel landscape, removing the need for a shuttle service. Continue Reading

Long staying visitors to Singapore will soon be able to enjoy two floors of stylish, new luxury accommodation at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel when La Residenza opens this May. Located on levels five and six of the hotel, La Residenza will feature 24 lofty, high-ceilinged one or two bedroom units, sweeping gallery-like corridors and a rich combination of contemporary design and luxurious touches.

With inviting interiors designed by award-winning and internationally acclaimed Warner Wong Design, each room will feature a blend of natural materials and contrasting textures. Hip without being haughty, the design offers functional originality, incorporating a range of imported materials in elements including custom-made furniture and carpeted flooring. Optical intelligence was also employed in the design of special cabinets, which allows for the kitchenette and sundry equipment to be concealed seamlessly and appears like wall panelling. A frosted glass sliding screen which separates the living area from the dining room further boasts the versatile home and office concept where guests can live, work and entertain within the same space.

The rooms will feature special touches, big and small, from king beds with timber headboards fixed with extendable reading lights, motorised blinds, flat screen TV, computer-equipped workspace, separate washer and dryer and a Corian-top kitchenette inclusive of equipment such as a refrigerator, oven, induction cooker and a wine fridge. The bathrooms will continue the luxury theme marble counter tops, compressed marble flooring, standing shower, luxurious bathtub and a separate powder room for guests. Continue Reading

The Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa has launched a new ‘Meet & Stay’ package designed for groups of at least ten, priced at Sin$395 for each guest.

The new package includes overnight accommodation, breakfast for one and lunch at the stylish new ‘urban lifestyle retreat’ overlooking Sentosa’s popular Palawan Beach, just ten minutes from the city centre.

Designed for corporate or stylish social gatherings, the package also includes free use of a meeting room with presentation facilities from 9–5pm, and two coffee/tea breaks with snacks.

Accommodation for guests is in a well-appointed Deluxe Room, complete with a welcome drink & fruit basket.

Guests or delegates also receive a 25% discount voucher for food and beverage at the resort’s signature restaurant, Shutters.

The package rate is subject to 10% service charge and 7% GST, with reservations subject to availability of meeting rooms and guest rooms. Continue Reading

Sunday, April 20, is the date of the official opening celebration of The St Regis Singapore, one of the most high profile new luxury hotels to open in Singapore for over a decade.

More than 1000 senior leaders from the worlds of business and society in Singapore have been invited to the exclusive occasion, which will echo the legendary social gatherings that took place in the original St. Regis New York over a century ago, when Mrs. Caroline Astor, mother of the hotel’s founder John Jacob Astor IV, held her famous parties for the glitterati of New York.

The Grand Opening of The St Regis Singapore will be an elegant formal cocktail event. The hotel’s Astor Ballroom will be transformed into a 1920s style outdoor garden from the 1920s and the party will spread throughout the hotel’s restaurants and public areas. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra will welcome guests with light classic waltzes, while live jazz bands from Shanghai, Sydney and around the region will make the evening swing.

Guests will be able to sip Krug champagne and cocktails specially created by renowned international mixologists the Sorum brothers from Sweden, who are famous throughout the world for their theatrical displays of the art of cocktail mixology.

Singapore’s Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan, will be the Guest of Honour for the evening. Continue Reading

The Amara Singapore is getting ready to officially launch its newly designed executive club floors this Friday, 4 April.

The art deco-inspired interior of three of the hotel floors are both classy yet warmly inviting to the harried traveller with discerning taste. From the wooden panelling to the fresh flowers and special pillows and sheets in each executive suite, Amara Singapore gives a new meaning to the term “business class”.

Amara Singapore, General Manager, Mr Lakshman Perera said, “The upgrading and fine tuning of the top three executive floors was to meet the ever changing demands of corporate travellers. The crisp and efficient butler service also goes hand-in-hand with the elegant rooms we’ve created.”

There is a well-outfitted business lounge attached to the three club floors, ideal for small meetings and business drinks. Pre-dinner cocktails and snacks are served in the cosy lounge area, with large windows overlooking the Singapore skyline. A personal butler is at the lounge to attend to the every need of the club-floor guests: from check-in and check-out services to booking of spa packages or golfing sessions. Continue Reading