Singapore 'will likely overtake Las Vegas'

SINGAPORE'S two casinos, in operation for just over a year, are poised to overtake a name synonymous with gambling the world over: Las Vegas.

Their stunning success was highlighted by Mr Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association, on the sidelines of a gaming conference in Macau yesterday.

Mr Fahrenkopf predicted that the casinos at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) and Marina Bay Sands (MBS) would see combined revenues of US$6.4 billion (S$7.9 billion) this year, up from US$5.1 billion last year.

The revenue for Las Vegas last year was US$5.8 billion.

Macau, with about three dozen casinos, is the world's largest gaming hub after leapfrogging Las Vegas in 2006.

The Chinese city, which attracts a large number of wealthy players from the Asian region, raked in US$23.5 billion in casino revenue last year. The figure is expected to grow by between 25 per cent and 50 per cent this year, said Mr Fahrenkopf.

It is going to be an extremely good year in Singapore and Macau, he was quoted as saying by Associated Press.

If Mr Fahrenkopf's prediction about Singapore is accurate, the world's second-largest gaming hub after Macau would also be in Asia.

Extracted from The Straits Times, 8 June 2011

Singapore scores in tourism rankings

THE little red dot is shining bright on the world stage again.

For the second time in five years, Singapore's travel and tourism sector has emerged as the 10th most competitive out of 139 economies ranked by a World Economic Forum (WEF) report.

This puts it at the top of theAsia-Pacific region for the first time - ahead of Hong Kong, which came in 12th, and Australia, which fell from 2009's ninth spot to 13th this year.

Despite lacking in human and natural resources, Singapore pulled itself into the top 10 by having top-notch workers and efficient air and ground transport systems.

The report, comprising more than 500 pages, also gave the nation top marks for its safe environment and its rules and regulations which, it said, are conducive to the development of the travel industry.

Switzerland, Germany and France topped the rankings, with Switzerland having stayed in first place since the first report in 2007.

In appraising the 139 countries, the WEF considered 14 areas relating to travel and tourism including policy, rules and regulations, transport infrastructure, and human and natural resources.

Singapore to help boost eco-tourism in Johor

Singapore is lending Malaysia its expertise in developing green reserves for eco-tourism.

The tourism agencies of both countries have started a joint feasibility study to look into how an attraction like Singapore's Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in Kranji can be replicated across the Causeway.

The joint feasibility study, expected to be completed in 2010, is the first such venture into the tourism sector.

The first mention of the collaboration between Singapore and Malaysia in this area came from Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan in 2009, when he gave an update on Singapore's involvement in Iskandar Malaysia, a project to develop southern Johor's economic corridor.