Sentosa expects record-breaking 1 million tourists from India in 2014

Akshay Kumar– Mumbai

Sentosa, a leisure destination and Singapore’s premium island resort getaway positions India as its largest market. Out of every 10 Indian travellers who visit Singapore, nine visit Sentosa making India the biggest market. In the year 2013, Sentosa welcomed around 900,000 Indians. But in 2014, the island resort is expecting to attract one million Indians.

Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Steven Chung, senior assistant director-international and corporate sales, Sentosa, said, “The year 2013 was excellent for us as we welcomed 900,000 Indian travellers. This year we are rebranding and revamping the Sentosa Merlion, launching new attractions like the Kidzania, which is a complete family entertainment. We are also launching a unique show called the ‘Wings of Time’ on June 7, 2014. This year is a special year for us, and we are all set to welcome more than one million Indians.”

Also, Sentosa island is all set to get its very own Madame Tussauds in November 2014. Madame Tussauds Singapore will be operated by Merlin Group. This museum will be uniquely tailored to reflect the culture and excitement of Singapore and Southeast Asia location. Not only in its design but also in the choice of figures which will be included – a combination of historical and contemporary figures from the region, as well as global celebrities. It will also be the only Madame Tussauds outside of the flagship attraction in London to incorporate a ride into the experience.

Meike Schulze, divisional director, attractions in Asia, Merlin Entertainment, said, “We have a lot of admiration for how Singapore has developed its strong tourism offering and see Sentosa as one of the leading attraction destinations in Southeast Asia. As an exciting and vibrant international hub, Singapore is the ideal location for a Madame Tussauds, and we are confident that with a touch of Merlin magic, we will add a new element to the country’s successful entertainment offering. We have long seen the potential; for bringing our global brands here and we look forward to working together with Sentosa to introduce other exciting, new concepts in the future.”

In the near future, Sentosa plans to increase the number of hotel rooms, currently there are 2500 rooms. Also they are planning to replace many of the existing attractions.