Singapore: the hub of tourist attraction

Tourism in Singapore is a major industry and attracts millions of tourists each year. A lot of its cultural attraction can be attributed to its cultural diversity that reflects its colonial history and Chinese, Malay, Indian and Arab ethnicities.

It is also environmentally friendly, and maintains natural and heritage conservation programs. As English is one of its numerous official languages, it is generally easier for tourists to understand when speaking to the local population of the country, for example, when shopping.

Transport in Singapore exhaustively covers most, if not all public venues in Singapore, which increases convenience for tourists. This includes the well-known Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system.

The Orchard Road district, which is dominated by multi-storey shopping centres and hotels, can be considered the centre of tourism in Singapore. Other popular tourist attractions include the Singapore Zoo and its Night Safari, which allows people to explore Asian, African and American habitats at night without any visible barriers between guests and the wild animals.

The Singapore Zoo has embraced the 'open zoo' concept whereby animals are kept in enclosures, separated from visitors by hidden dry or wet moats, instead of caging the animals. Jurong Bird Park is another zoological garden centred around birds, which is dedicated towards exposing the public to as much species and varieties of birds from around the world as possible, including a flock of one thousand flamingos.

The tourist island of Sentosa, which attracts more than 5 million visitors a year, is located in the south of Singapore, consists of about 20-30 landmarks, such as Fort Siloso, which was built as a fortress to defend against the Japanese during World War II.

Guns from the World War II era can be seen at Fort Siloso, from a mini-sized to a 16 pound (7 kg) gun. Recently, the island has built the Carlsberg Sky Tower, which allows visitors to view the whole of Sentosa, as well as the Sentosa Luge, a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleighs supine and feet-first. Steering is done by shifting the weight or pulling straps attached to the sled's runners.

Singapore will have two integrated resorts with casinos in 2010, one at Marina Bay and the other at Sentosa which the government announced during a parliament session on April 18, 2005.

Singapore seeks to be the business hub of Southeast Asia and has an expansive shopping precinct located in the Orchard Road district. Many multistorey shopping centres are located at Orchard Road; the area also has many hotels, and it's the main tourism centre of Singapore, other than the Downtown Core. The local populace also use Orchard Road for shopping extensively.

Sentosa

Sentosa is a relatively large island of Singapore located to its south. Along with a beachfront resort, the island's tourist attractions include Fort Siloso, its historical museum, the Underwater World aquarium and the Carlsberg Sky Tower.

Singapore will also be building two casinos (integrated resorts), one on Marina Bay and one on Sentosa. The proposal of building Singapore Casinos in these resorts has been controversial.

Singapore has a variety of parks and projects which often feature its natural tropical environment.

The Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, allows people to explore Asian, African and South American habitats at night, without any visible barriers between guests and the wild animals.

Singapore has its Singapore Botanical Gardens open to the public that is 52 hectares large, and includes the National Orchid collection with over 3000 types of orchids growing.

The historic Raffles Hotel is now a national monument.

Recently the government has also been promoting the Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve as a quiet getaway from the stress of modern life.

The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is an extensive nature reserve which covers much of the Bukit Timah Hill, and is the only remaining place where primary rainforest still exists on the island.

The Jurong BirdPark includes extensive specimens of exotic bird life from around the world, including a flock of one thousand flamingos.

Cuisine

The cuisine of Singapore is often viewed by her population as a prime example of the ethnic diversity of the culture of Singapore.

In Singapore's hawker centres - a technical misnomer, to be precise - for example, traditionally Malay hawker stalls selling halal food may serve halal versions of traditionally Tamil or Chinese food. Chinese stalls may introduce Malay or Indian ingredients, cooking techniques or entire dishes into their range of catering. Some dishes introduce elements from all three cultures, while others incorporate influences from the rest of Asia and the West.

This phenomenon makes the cuisine of Singapore significantly rich and a cultural attraction. Most of the prepared food that is bought outside are eaten in the hawker centres or food courts rather than actual restaurants, an example of which is Lau Pa Sat, these centres are relatively abundant which often leads to low prices, and encourages a large consumer base.

Food in itself has been heavily promoted as an attraction for tourists, and is usually promoted by various initiatives undertaken by the Singapore Tourism Board or the associations it deals with as one of Singapore's best attractions alongside shopping.

The government organises the Singapore Food Festival in July annually to celebrate Singapore's cuisine. The multiculturalism of local food, the ready availability of international cuisine, and their wide range in prices to fit all budgets at all times of the day and year helps create a "food paradise" to rival other contenders claiming the same moniker.

The availability of variety of food is often aided by the fact Singapore's port lies along strategic routes.

There is also a proliferation of fast-food chains, such as McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Burger King, without first mentioning a huge array of restaurants that run the cultural gamut.

Halal and vegetarian food are also easily available.

Boat Quay is a historical quay in Singapore which is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River. Shophouses on it have been carefully conserved and now house various bars, pubs and restaurants.

Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay and a buzzing party central in Singapore, and is situated even further upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River than Boat Quay is. Presently, five blocks of restored warehouses house various restaurants and shops such as antique shops.

There are also moored Chinese junks (tongkangs) that have been refurbished into floating pubs and restaurants. Crazy Horse Paris opened their third cabaret show worldwide in Clarke Quay in December of 2005, but ended operations in February 2007 owing to bad business. The Ministry of Sound opened at Clarke Quay in December 2005 and is one of the most popular nightclubs in the city currently.

Clarke Quay also boasts more than 50 eateries offering over 20 different types of cuisine, and more than 20 bars, clubs and pubs. Some of the world's best pubs are located in Clarke Quay.

To compete with its many Asian rivals such as Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore has announced that the city would be transformed into a more vibrant and exciting place with more buzz by lighting up the city completely. The purpose of this is to attract more tourists.

This would make Singapore more livelier and help to create a captivating night scene to increase Singapore's appeal and high ranking status in the world. The most prominent transformation of the city would be its city skyline in the Central Business District (CBD).

In 2 to 3 years time, each and every skyscraper in the CBD would be lit up with bright and colourful neon lights that would change from time to time, festive occasions and events.

Waterfront shows would also be held daily during the night. By 2009, there would be much more developments in Marina Bay and Sentosa. The government expects 17 million visitor arrivals by year 2010.

Courtesy Internet