The offshore island is shedding its leisure-only image, drawing MICE events with new products as well as rejuvenated ones, reports Paige Lee Pei Qi
Sentosa, long known among families and leisure travellers for its sun, sand and sea, has in recent years evolved to become a one-stop MICE destination. Today, the rejuvenated island is home to 14 hotels, over 30 attractions and more than 100 F&B and retail outlets.
Latest hotel additions include W Singapore – Sentosa Cove, along with improvements made to existing meeting facilities in hotels like Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa and The Singapore Resort & Spa Sentosa. New attractions include a new multimedia night show Wings of Time and Singapore’s own Madame Tussauds.
Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) alone houses six hotels, convention and meeting spaces, the Universal Studios Singapore theme park and a range of quality F&B, entertainment and retail outlets.
Tan Bee Ling, vice president, resorts sales, RWS, said: “Increasingly business travellers want to accomplish more than just work during their participation in MICE events. There is a strong demand for a variety of activities, and organisers are looking for a one-stop destination catering to business in the day and leisure activities in the evening.”
The 49ha property can hold 35,000 pax at any one time. Its event spaces include Resorts World Convention Centre, with 26 function rooms, and a column-free ballroom for 7,300 pax.
In 2013, RWS hosted more than 9,500 events, welcoming over two million MICE visitors, Tan shared.
Meanwhile, Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa last year opened a standalone seafront event centre, Atmosphere by the Sea, measuring 322m2 indoors and comes with a 120m2 covered terrace and an adjoining 120m2 timber deck. These spaces can seat 150 pax, while the lush, sprawling lawn can hold another 100 pax for a standing cocktail reception.
The property’s director of sales and marketing, Jennifer Yong, said: “To capture rising demand from meetings organisers seeking out-of-the-box MICE venues, we are able to transform typical boardroom meetings into fun, creative and memorable events.”
Geraldine Wong, director of sales, Mövenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa, said: “Sentosa is a major attraction with many teambuilding activities available, creating a well-rounded experience for business and leisure.”
She said the hotel has experienced 15 per cent year-on-year growth for MICE since its opening in 2012.
Sentosa Leisure Management international and corporate sales senior assistant director, Steven Chung, said: “Sentosa has ramped up efforts over the past few years, bringing in more participative and skills-based activities on our beaches… customised teambuilding experiences are constantly refreshed.”
While Sentosa offers adrenaline-rushing activities like iFly Singapore, an indoor skydiving experience, and high rope course trails at MegaZip Adventure Park, Chung said there is more to come, including a bungy jump experience at AJ Hackett Sentosa.
He said the island’s teambuilding programmes – Imbiah Challenge and Beach Challenge – are popular with the Chinese and Indian groups, and there is a rise in MICE traffic from Australia. Over 8,000 people have participated in them since 2008.
Unlike leisure travellers who have the luxury of more time, business travellers always seek to maximise limited time in a destination. RWS’ Tan said: “Containing all events within the island will definitely provide convenience for delegates and event organisers, with more being accomplished within a limited period of time.
“Marketing the precinct as a whole will not only strengthen the business preposition, but also multiply the impact in terms of awareness and benefits for stakeholders and guests.”
Ideas
Garden City tour
Morning
Start your day taking in the fragrance and sights of the flowers at the awe-inspiring Gardens by the Bay. This 101ha green zone is full of activities for nature lovers. Don’t miss Bay South Garden’s highlights – the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome conservatories – which house close to 100,000 plants, and the towering steel Supertrees that stretch up to 50m into the sky.
Afternoon
Drive over to Labrador Nature Reserve after lunch. This is a haven for flora and fauna such as monitor lizards and beautiful fish poison trees. Trekkers can also go on enlightening heritage trails that shed light on Labrador Park’s role in Singapore’s maritime and war history.
Evening
Why not head over to Southern Ridges just before winding down? This impressive 10km route links up several iconic green destinations, including HortPark, Kent Ridge Park and Mount Faber Park. Just a short walk from the latter is the spectacular Henderson Waves pedestrian bridge, which is particularly beautiful at night when lit up.
Credits: Singapore Tourism Board
Need to Know
Enter the tiger’s den
Embark on an unforgettable journey through the whimsical landscape of Haw Par Villa, also known as the Tiger Balm Garden. Built in 1937, it is the world’s only eclectic Chinese mythological park of its kind.
This new walking tour offered by The Original Singapore Walks will take participants through the villa, helping them make sense of the tapestry of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism seamlessly woven into the poetry of the garden.
Tickets are priced at S$35 (US$26) for adults and S$15 for children.
For details visit http://journeys.com.sg or call (65) 6325-1631.
Anyone can be a pilot
Located at the Singapore Flyer, Flight Experience is a simulator that fully replicates a commercial jet. It offers a fully immersive experience, allowing participants to take to the skies controlling a Boeing 737-800, in a fully enclosed cockpit with full-functioning avionics and photorealistic visuals.
The simulator features a 180-degree wraparound screen which projects stunningly accurate visuals of scenery and terrain. Think flying into Paris in semi-darkness at dusk, or viewing picturesque Rome overhead from the air, among other breathtaking sights.
Check out Flight Experience’s website at http://flightexperience.com.sg for more information, or call (65) 6339-2737.
UK budget hotel debuts in Singapore
Premier Inn, the UK’s largest budget hotel chain with over 670 properties globally, is making its Singapore debut with Premier Inn Singapore Beach Road, expected to open mid-2016.
Located within walking distance to the cultural districts of Haji Lane and Arab Street, as well as the Marina Bay Sands business district, the 300-room Premier Inn Singapore Beach Road will have 300 rooms of an area from 18m2. It will have a swimming pool, gym and meeting facilities.
Erik van Keulen, senior vice president for development, Asia-Pacific, said: “We want our hotels (in South-east Asia) to be looked upon as three-star properties rather than fully budget ones like our UK properties – which mostly have no additional amenities apart from rooms.”
Keulen said Premier Inn is courting “a good mix” of business and leisure travellers, and expects the initial bulk of traffic to come from the UK and the Middle East, markets which are more familiar with the Premier Inn brand.
