TOURISM IN SINGAPORE

SINGAPORE

Singapore ,  officially the Republic of Singapore, is a southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. The country is highly urbanized with very little primary rainforest remaining, although more land is being created for development through land reclamation.

Part of various local empires since being inhabited in the 2nd century AD, Singapore hosted a trading post of the East India Company in 1819 with permission from the Sultanate of Johor. The British obtained sovereignty over the island in 1824 and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826. Occupied by the Japanese in World War II, Singapore declared independence, uniting with other former British territories to form Malaysia in 1963, although it was separated from Malaysia two years later. Since then it has had a massive increase in wealth, and is one of the Four Asian Tigers. Singapore is the world's fourth leading financial centre, and its port is one of the five busiest ports in the world. The economy depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing, which constituted 26% of Singapore's GDP in 2005.

 In terms of purchasing power parity, Singapore has the third highest per capita income in the world. There are slightly over 5 million people in Singapore, of which 2.91 million were born locally. The population is highly diverse; the majority are Chinese, with Malays and Indians forming significant minorities. Reflecting this diversity, the country has four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. One of the five founding members of the Association of South East Asian Nations, the country is also the host of the APEC Secretariat, and a member of the East Asia Summit, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth.

Tourism in Singapore

Tourism in Singapore is a major industry and contributor to the Singaporean economy, attracting 11,638,663 tourists in 2010, over twice Singapore's total population.  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. Along with this, it also has one of the world's lowest crime rates . As English is the dominant one of its four 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 Republic of Singapore is one of the main tourist attractions in Asia. Singapore is an island country and is considered as the smallest country in south East Asia. Enriched with various tourist attractions Singapore invited thousands of tourists from different corners of the world to come and explore her beauty. Unique culture with wonderful scenic beauty makes the land stand out from the other popular tourist destinations in Asia. The parks, the gardens, the serene beaches and the palm fringes are the attractive features of this island. The mixture of culture can be witnessed in every sphere commencing from the delicacies to clothing to religion to heritage.

Singapores Popular Destinations attract thousands of tourists every year. Various islands, small countryside towns with innocent nature give the tourists the chance to enjoy the natural beauty and its splendid elements. The most attractive part of Singapore is the blend of cultures where east meets west to form a new civilization. Singapore bears diversities in respect of its topography, ethnicity and traditions.

MAJOR  ATTRACTIONS

Little India

 Little India is, as the name promises, the center for the large Indian community in Singapore. While a rather sanitized version of the real thing, Little India retains its distinct identity without degenerating into a mere tourist attraction and is one of the most colorful and attractive places to visit in Singapore. The action is tightly concentrated a few blocks on either side of the road, and can be easily covered on foot. Little India's primary attraction is the town itself. Here  tourist can find the gaily painted shop houses that are an icon of Singapore, to be replaced with Tamil, Hindi, Bengali and other more exotic Indian scripts. Stores hawk saris and gold bangles, spices and incense waft in from the doorways and Bollywood's latest soundtracks blare from every other alleyway. Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple is the  Little India's busiest and oldest temple, dating back to 1881 — although the present structure was completed in 1986.

Singapore's Chinatown 

Singapore's Chinatown is an ethnic neighbourhood featuring distinctly Chinese cultural elements and a historically concentrated ethnic Chinese population. Chinatown is located within the larger district of Outram.

As the largest ethnic group in Singapore is Chinese, Chinatown is considerably less of an enclave than it once was. (Note: The name Chinatown is usually used by non-Chinese Singaporeans whereas Chinese Singaporeans usually use the term Niu Che Shui  as the term Chinatown   usually refers to enclaves of Chinese people in regions where Chinese people are the minority ethnic group.) However, the district does retain significant historical and cultural significance. Large sections of it have been declared national heritage sites officially designated for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Singapore's Chinatown is composed of several precincts - Kreta Ayer, Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar, Bukit Pasoh and Ann Siang Hill.

Arab Street

Arab Street lies between Victoria Street and Beach Road in the Kampong Glam area. This  area as the most appropriate area for Arabs in Singapore to live. Other streets nearby are also named after Arabian cities. They are Bussorah Street, Muscat Street and Baghdad Street. Arab street is in the centre of the original Muslim section of town, famed for its speciality shops, Muslim restaurants and more. Arab Street was a spine for transportation in the "Arab Kampong" or "Muslim Quarter" drawn up in Sir Stamford Raffles' Town Plan of 1822. Arab Street served as the "town centre" and became the main shopping street and trading centre of activities in this Muslim quarter. Today, the shops sell jewellery, sweet perfumes, carpets, curio, rattan and other basketware, preserved food and other delicacies; spices, flower-shops, Muslim restaurants, and money-changers too. 

Sentosa

Sentosa is a popular island resort in Singapore, visited by some five million people a year.  Attractions include a 2 km (1.2 mi) long sheltered beach, Fort Siloso, two golf courses, two five-star hotels, and the Resorts World Sentosa, featuring the theme park Universal Studios Singapore. Sentosa offers a variety of attractions, museums and other facilities to provide a variety of experiences, recreation and entertainment to visitors. . Sentosa has a stretch of sheltered beach of more than 2 km   on its southern coast, divided into three portions: Palawan Beach, Siloso Beach, and Tanjong Beach. 

Orchard Road 

Orchard Road is a 2.2 kilometre-long street that is the retail and entertainment hub of Singapore. It is a major tourist attraction, in addition to being the most popular shopping enclave in the city-state. Often, the surrounding area is known simply as Orchard, partly because the MRT station that serves the vicinity is named Orchard.  Orchard Road is flanked by pedestrian malls. Orchard Road contains numerous upmarket restaurants, coffee chains, cafés, nightclubs and hotels. It is the site of the official residence of the President of Singapore, the Istana. Tanglin Mall is located at the junction of Tanglin Road and Grange Road. Its customer base is made up of expatriates, yuppies and professionals. Anchor tenants include Tanglin Market Place, a gourmet supermarket and bakery, and Tasty Food Court where up to 15 varieties of local cuisine can be found.

 Merlion

The statue of Merlion which dominates the Merlion Park in Singapore was originally situated at the Merlion Park by the Esplanade Bridge. Tourists from all over the world flocked in to see the Merlion Park and the Merlion placed elegantly in the park.  The Merlion (Malay: Singa-Laut) is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore. Its name combines "mer" meaning the sea and "lion". The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore's original name — Singapura — meaning "lion city" or "kota singa".It symbolizes the fact that Singapore was initially a humble fishing village even though now it has turned out to be one of the most popular tourist spots in the world.

The Singapore Zoo

The Singapore Zoo , formerly known as the Singapore Zoological Gardens and commonly known locally as the Mandai Zoo, occupies 28 hectares (69 acres) on the margins of Upper Seletar Reservoir within Singapore's heavily forested central catchment area. The zoo was built at a cost of S$9m granted by the government of Singapore and opened on 27 June 1973. It is operated by Wildlife Reserves Singapore, who also manage the neighbouring Night Safari and the Jurong BirdPark. There are about 315 species of animal in the zoo, of which some 16% are considered threatened species. The zoo attracts about 1.6 million visitors each year. Animal shows, as well as token feedings coupled with live commentaries by keepers, are also the daily staple in the Singapore zoo. The "Rainforest Fights Back",  The "Elephants at Work and Play, The "Splash Safari" and The "Animal Friends"  etc.

Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands features three 55-story hotel towers which were topped out in July 2009. The three towers are connected by a 1 hectare sky terrace on the roof, named Sands Sky Park. In front of the three towers include a Theatre Block, a Convention and Exhibition Facilities Block, as well as the Casino Block, which have up to 1000 gaming tables and 1400 slot machines. The Art Science Museum is constructed next to the three blocks and has the shape of a lotus.  The Sky Park is home to the world's longest elevated swimming pool,  perched 191 metres above the ground. The pools are made up of 422,000 pounds of stainless steel and can hold 376,500 gallons   of water. The Sky Park also boasts rooftop restaurants such as The Sky, nightclubs such as KU DÉ TA, lush gardens, hundreds of trees and plants etc.

Shopping

There are various shopping belts in Singapore, Marina Bay, Bugis Street, Chinatown, Geylang Serai, Kampong Gelam & Arab Street, Little India, North Bridge Road, Orchard Road, Riverside, Shenton Way & Raffles Place and The Suburbs.

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