-By Shantanu Jain
MORE than a million Indian tourists will arrive in Sentosa Island, Singapore this year, predicts Steven Chung, Senior Assistant Director, Sales at Sentosa Leisure Management Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of the Sentosa Leisure Group.
In an exclusive conversation with BW Hotelier, Chung, who was in India recently, told us that Sentosa -- with a hybrid of attractions and features and world-class family-oriented facilities, had an edge over other destinations in the world, especially when it came to the Indian tourist.
’The attractions in particular are always designed keeping in mind the needs of the Indian traveler. Often we create packages that cater to the Indian arrivals, meaning we factor in flight arrival times, dietary requirements and meal times ’ as we are aware dinner time for Indians is quite different from the rest of the world,’ he added.
Because of the connection between Sentosa and the Indian traveler, the new Madame Tussauds in Sentosa has brought Indian personalities, including Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Mahatma Gandhi. ’This is an example of the level of attention we dedicate to our number one international market,’ he told us.
Chung who in a previous interview in February last year; said that he was expecting more than a million guests from India; did not have an accurate picture of the collective figure of revenue generated from India and the number of tourists since Sentosa is made up of independent tenants in hospitality, entertainment and retail. He said that despite a drop in last year's peak due to the Indian elections and the continued weakening of the rupee against Singapore dollars, a healthy influx of Indian tourists all year round was witnessed.
In an earlier interview with the Financial Express in New Delhi, Chung had been quoted saying 2013 saw 900,000 Indian tourists visiting Sentosa.
2014 also saw a rebranding and revamping of the Sentosa Merlion, with new family centric entertainment like Kidzania, Chung said.
Shantanu Jain is a Junior Correspondent with BW Hotelier.
-By Shantanu Jain
MORE than a million Indian tourists will arrive in Sentosa Island, Singapore this year, predicts Steven Chung, Senior Assistant Director, Sales at Sentosa Leisure Management Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of the Sentosa Leisure Group.
In an exclusive conversation with BW Hotelier, Chung, who was in India recently, told us that Sentosa -- with a hybrid of attractions and features and world-class family-oriented facilities, had an edge over other destinations in the world, especially when it came to the Indian tourist.
’The attractions in particular are always designed keeping in mind the needs of the Indian traveler. Often we create packages that cater to the Indian arrivals, meaning we factor in flight arrival times, dietary requirements and meal times ’ as we are aware dinner time for Indians is quite different from the rest of the world,’ he added.
Because of the connection between Sentosa and the Indian traveler, the new Madame Tussauds in Sentosa has brought Indian personalities, including Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Mahatma Gandhi. ’This is an example of the level of attention we dedicate to our number one international market,’ he told us.
Chung who in a previous interview in February last year; said that he was expecting more than a million guests from India; did not have an accurate picture of the collective figure of revenue generated from India and the number of tourists since Sentosa is made up of independent tenants in hospitality, entertainment and retail. He said that despite a drop in last year's peak due to the Indian elections and the continued weakening of the rupee against Singapore dollars, a healthy influx of Indian tourists all year round was witnessed.
In an earlier interview with the Financial Express in New Delhi, Chung had been quoted saying 2013 saw 900,000 Indian tourists visiting Sentosa.
2014 also saw a rebranding and revamping of the Sentosa Merlion, with new family centric entertainment like Kidzania, Chung said.
Shantanu Jain is a Junior Correspondent with BW Hotelier.
