Theme Parks and Attractions in Singapore: an Overview
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Visions in Leisure and Business Volume 15 Number 3 Article 4 1996 Theme Parks and Attractions in Singapore: An Overview Ah Keng Kau National University of Singapore Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions Recommended Citation Kau, Ah Keng (1996) "Theme Parks and Attractions in Singapore: An Overview," Visions in Leisure and Business: Vol. 15 : No. 3 , Article 4. Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions/vol15/iss3/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Visions in Leisure and Business by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@BGSU. THEME PARKSAND ATTRACTIONSIN SINGAPORE: AN OVERVIEW BY DR. KAU AH KENG, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING FACULTYOF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE KENT RIDGE, SINGAPORE119260 REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE ABSTRACT receipts for 1994 reached S$10.9 billion. This is about 10 percent of the gross Singapore attracted almost 7 million visitors national product of S$104.9 billion in 1994. Receipts from tourists also generated in the same year. This is quite accounted for about 10 percent of the gross remarkable given the fact that Singapore is national product. As a small island of only only a small island with about 640 square 640square kilometers, Singaporehas almost kilometers of land and has no natural no natural scenery to offer. Many of its scenery to offer, although several of its tourism attractions are man-made and theme smaller outlying islands are also developed parks play an important role in attracting fortourism purposes. visitors not only from abroad but also locally. This paper aims to describe the Tourism is an important industry to local theme park industry and examine its Singapore. According to the Report of the problems and prospects. It is found that the Tourism Task Force published by the theme parks in Singapore will face stiff Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry competition, not only from each other, but (1984), tourism was considered as a major also from the region where theme park export industry and its role in the Singapore development projects are abound. The economy would continue to be emphasized. changing environment also dictates that Several measures were proposed by the these theme parks will have to be innovative report in enhancing the attractiveness of and must attempt to accommodate the Singapore as a tourist destination. These changing needs of the visitors in order to included improving existing attractions such stay viable. as the restoration of Chinatown and other historical and tourist sites. The other strategy was to develop new attractions. In INTRODUCTION the strategicplan 1993-95 developed by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, the Singapore attracted 6.9 million of tourists in importance of developing new directions in 1994, an increase of almost 30 percent from productdevelopment was again emphasized. the 5.32 million achieved in 1990. Tourist Eleven tourism themes were proposed. One 13 of the themes was related to the government, various proposals were put development of family theme parks. The forward to develop the island, ranging from aim was to cater to the increasing numbers using it as industrial or military site, a port of families visiting Singapore. or to manage it as a tourism development. According to Milman (3), theme parks Sentosa (a Malay word for peace and attempt to "create an atmosphere of another tranquillity) is now a holiday resort island place and time, and usually emphasize one with lush tropical flora andmany attractions dominant theme around which architecture, to lure the tourists. It can be reached from landscaping, costumed personnel, rides, mainland Singapore by ferry, coach or cable shows, focxl services, and merchandise are car. Visitors can also walk or cycle to the coordinated". In addition, theme parks are island. The island has various attractions, designed mainly to cater to the family as a facilities and activities to keep both families visiting unit. In this paper, theme parks are and individuals engaged. In fact, three of classified primarily according to the theme parks in Singapore are located in entertainment, historical, and safari parks this island alone. These three are the Asian but other attractions are also described to Village, Fantasy Island and Volcanoland. provide an overview of the competitive The other attraction is the Underwater market situation in this industry in World. Each of these will be described in Singapore. detail. Asian Yilla�e THEME PARKS AND ATTRACTIONS Asian Village, as its name implies, is a S$75 The theme parks and attractions in million waterfront theme park that attempts Singapore can be divided into five different to showcase the multi-cultural and categories. These are (1) islands; (2) wild architectural heritage of countries in East life; (3) theme parks; (4) museums and (5) Asia, South-East Asia and South Asia. It gardens and parks. In this section, the main has three theme villages constructed around touristisland--Sentosa will be describedas it a landscaped lake. Each of these three has several of the theme parks located there. villages is distinct on its own and aims to The other three attractions with animal provide an authentic imitation of the themes, other than the zoo, will also be different regions it represents. discussed. TheAsian Village occupies an area of about SentosaI sland 8 hectares. In the village, there is an adventure park that features 11 theme rides Sentosa Island is the most popular tourist for visitors of all ages. Within the lush and attraction in Singapore. It lies just half a beautiful surroundings, one can also find kilometer south of the mainland Singapore. open air bazaars and Thai floating markets, It was previously a fishing village and later accompanied by the different types of Asian used as a fortress and a British military base music to complement the different regions it until 1967 when the British decided to represents. There is also an amphitheater withdraw its forces from Singapore. When which can accommodate 1200 people. it was handed back to the Singapore 14 Within each of the theme villages, there are forth which provide thrill and excitement for shops that sell Asian wares such as Burmese the families. lacquer ware, Chinese painting and pottery and so on. Apart from these merchandise, The theme park is opened from 9.30 a.m. to the Asian Village also features fine cuisine 7 p.m. and admission charge is S$16 for from the different regions of Asia. There adults and S$10 for children under 12. are also cultural shows to depict the lives Before entering the park, visitors can also and cultures from the different regions. visit the dynamic motion simulator, Performers and craftsmen such as Indian CineMania, at the entertainment mall. The sculptors, Chinese calligraphers and Filipino ride lasts for about four minutes at a charge artists have also been hired to showcase the of S$6 foradults and S$4 forkids. regionsin each of the villages. Volcano land When the Village was first opened to the public, an admission charge of about S$10 Another theme park locatedin Sentosa is the was imposed. However, the management S$20 million Volcanoland. As the name foundthat manypeople avoided going to the implies, the Volcanoland is aimed at Village. Finally, admission charge was offering an excitingperspective of the inside waived. However, yisitors are required to of a volcano. It has a 20-meter-high pay for rides in the village, ranging from volcano which "erupts"every thirty minutes, S$1 to S$3 each time. Visitors can also pay spewing smoke about ten meters high into S$10 to get unlimited rides. In 1994, the the sky. Visitors can ride to the bowels of Asian Village attracted 1,018,000 visitors the simulated active volcano, walk across a out of a total of 4 million visitors who rope bridge above bubbling flows of "lava". toured the Sentosa Island. It was ranked as They can also see the underground Sentosa's top five attractions forthat year. waterfalls and prehistoric fossils and observe a three-dimensional show of the FantasyIsland creation of the universe. In addition, visitors can also make an archaeological Fantasy Island is a S$52-million expedition to discover the long-lost Maya development located in Sentosa. It is civilization. reputed to bethe largest water theme parkin the region. It has about 32 slides and The admission charges are S$10 for adults promised to offer both passive and exciting and S$6 for childrenfrom 3-12. The parkis rides for different types of customers. In openedfrom 9.00 a.m. to 9.00p.m. daily. addition to the rides, there are also restaurants and pubs. It occupies an area of UnderwaterW orld about 71,000 square meters, equivalent to about 56 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Located at Sentosa island, this oceanarium About 6.3 million liters of water are needed offers an insight into the marine world. for the park's water slides. The biggest of Visitors walk through a 83 meter long which is called the Subarashi, which lets the acrylic tunnel with a moving pathway that visitors slide down at a very fast speed. allows them to view over 600 marine There are also sharp drops, specimens of 350 species. They will beable serpentine-shaped slides, river rapids and so to experience having fishes swimming over 15 their heads and coming to within inches of staffat the city is dressedin periodcostume. them. They will feel as if they are walking Camels and horses which used to serve as along the sea bed in the deep, blue ocean transportation means in the Tang period can together with these fishes.