The Jurong Lake District (JLD) in west Singapore is set for a major transformation and will soon welcome an integrated tourism development with attractions, hotels, retail and F&B offerings.
Making the announcement at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Tourism Industry Conference yesterday, senior minister of state for trade and industry and education, Chee Hong Tat, described: “With its unique waterfront environment and location adjacent to the new Jurong Lake Gardens and the new Science Centre, we envision this area to be transformed into a key attraction from 2026.”
The area slated for this development is so large that JLD is set to become Singapore’s second city centre. Among new facilities and projects, it will comprise a complete overhaul of the Science Centre Singapore by mid-2020, as well as the introduction of Singapore’s third national garden, measuring 20ha.
Chee added that the ministry will soon launch an Expression of Interest until November this year. Keith Tan, chief executive of STB, revealed that some players, including developers and attractions, have “already expressed keen interest in the area”.
He said that depending on developer interest, JLD could open up opportunities for BTMICE facilities, which may even include purpose-built spaces like a convention centre.
Tan continued that with the “greater push towards bleisure”, this development may encourage visitors to extend their stay by one to two nights as well as “create an ecosystem of seeing tools trialled and tested live, making for a more compelling destination”.
While encouraged by the development of the district, local players noted that improving the nearby highway link with Johor would make JLD an even stronger magnet for business travellers.
A+B Edu Tours and Travel director, Bhajan Sing Sandhu, told TTGmice that if cross-border traffic conditions improve, corporate planners would be more incentivised to include a visit to Singapore’s west districts, including JLD and the nearby business enclaves of one-north.
