Bangkok--Sep 30--eTurboNews
NEW DELHI, India (eTurboNews) - Singapore has stated that the city-state recorded slightly more than 810,400 visitors in August, up 8.6 percent on the year, propelled by travelers from the Philippines, Vietnam, India and Hong Kong. However, the growth eased from a 9.2 percent rise in July this year when Singapore hosted the 117th International Olympic Committee Session, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said.
As per the statement from STB, nearly half of the visitors during August came from Indonesia, China, Japan, Australia and Malaysia. According to Channel News Asia, arrivals from the Philippines grew 53 percent, Vietnam 39 percent, India 25 percent and Hong Kong 25 percent.
The average hotel occupancy rates was 84 percent in the month, up 3 percentage points from last year, with hotel revenue running US$59 million, 17.3 percent higher than August 2004.
In a major development, an iconic project at Marina Bay has taken off. "The Singapore Flyer project is finally off the road. On Tuesday, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan and developers officiated at the ground breaking ceremony, with leaders from seven religious groups presiding over the blessing rites.
"At some 45 storeys high, the $240 million attraction at Marina Bay will be the world's largest observation wheel. The Singapore Flyer is funded entirely by the private sector. The Tourism Board says it'll continue to strategically deploy its $2 billion Tourism Development Fund to bring more projects into Singapore. Expected to be completed in 30 months, the Singapore Flyer is part of an exciting vision for the bayfront area," said a report from Channel News Asia.
In the same report, the minister said, "It'll be one of the many attractions that you'll see coming up around the bay. It will be what I call a necklace of attractions - the Flyer, the Esplanade, after the Sail will be the BFC, after the BFC will be the integrated resorts, and overlaying the area will be the three gardens by the bay."
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