Sentosa the place to be for developers

[mr funny]

Singapore
Published December 5, 2006

Sentosa the place to be for developers

By UMA SHANKARI

SENTOSA is seeing a surge in interest from companies looking to develop projects on the island, Sentosa Leisure Group's chief executive Darrell Metzger said yesterday.

Rather than being intimidated by competition from the upcoming Sentosa integrated resort (IR), more companies are hoping to bring up their own attractions on the island as they look forward to a surge in visitor numbers once the resort is there, Mr Metzger said.

Sentosa is in talks with some of these interested parties, he added.

Mr Metzger was speaking to reporters at the preview of the new $140-million Sentosa Express, a monorail system linking the mainland and Sentosa.

Once the monorail starts operations in January, it will boost Sentosa's bid to become a premium resort island for the region, the Sentosa Leisure Group believes.

To begin with, the train will stop at three stations - the VivoCity mega-mall on the mainland, and two more stops on the island.

Another station - Waterfront, which will be in the heart of the IR - will be open only in 2010 when the resort development is completed.

Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran, who was the guest-of-honour at the handover ceremony of the monorail system from manufacturer Hitachi Asia to Sentosa yesterday afternoon, said that the completion of the monorail marked a milestone in Sentosa's $12 billion masterplan to redevelop and rejuvenate the island resort.

Launched in 2002, the 10-year plan proposes to refresh many of Sentosa's offerings and upgrade existing facilities, enhancing its attractiveness and competitiveness. The masterplan is progressing well, Mr Iswaran said.

Sentosa, which had originally looked to receiving more than eight million visitors a year by 2012, now expects to pass the target by 2010 - when most of the planned attractions on the island, including the IR, are completed.

At present, the island attracts more than five million visitors annually, with a record high of 5.2 million in the latest financial year.