Singapore Buzzing with Record Tourist Arrivals

The Singapore Tourism Board is definitely proud of its latest achievement - a record 11.6 million visitor arrivals in 2010, with Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia being the top 5 sources of visitor arrivals.

According to the news bulletin, these visitors spent a total of $18.8 billion, with the majority of tourism receipts being generated by shopping, sight-seeing, and entertainment.

Singapore is obviously a magnet for tourism. Here is my list of top 5 reasons for visiting Singapore, a few of which are already so obvious, as they have been mentioned above:

1. Invest-tourism: Despite cooling measures taken by the Singapore Government of late, significant drop in property prices is unlikely. When I visited the Altez condominium project launch showroom at Tanjong Pagar (right in the heart of Singapore's Central Business District) three days ago, the direct promoter from the property development firm confidently told me that prices will not come down. In fact, the property development firm will ensure that the price of the next unit sold will be higher, if not at least equal to the price of the last comparable property unit sold.
   
   Singapore's properties are definitely up for grabs, and with no foreign ownership restriction, a stable government, a clean and safe environment, these properties represent attractive investments.
   
2. Shopping: Orchard Road is traditionally associated with shopping in Singapore. After a SGD40 million overhaul over the course of 2+ years, starting from 2008, Orchard Road pedestrian walkways have been expanded, and there are Urban Green Rooms, to be used for art exhibitions, mini performances, and major events like Chingay. New retail malls have also sprouted up, including ION Orchard, Orchard Central, TripleOne Somerset, and 313@Somerset. You can check out the list of Orchard Road shopping malls here.
   
   But this is fast changing. You can also check out shopping malls at Marina Bay, HarbourFront, Vivocity, and even in the heartlands.
   
   If you are shopping for electronic gadgets, do pay a visit to Sim Lim Square.
   
3. Entertainment: The opening of Universal Studios Singapore in the Resorts World Sentosa integrated resort has brought the magic of Universal Studios movies to Singapore. You can now experience the thrills of rollercoaster rides, and other movie-themed attractions.
   
   If you are itching to try your luck at gaming, you can visit Resorts World Sentosa or Marina Bay Sands.
   
   You can also enjoy cultural and artistic performances at the durian-shaped Esplanade Theatre.
   
4. Sightseeing: The popular attractions include Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam, Arab Street, Sentosa, The Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park, Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden.
   
   A recent attraction is the Singapore Flyer, which is a significant landmark in Marina Bay. Inspired by the likes of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the London Eye, the Singapore Flyer is the world's largest observation wheel, offering passengers views of the beautiful Marina Bay skyline, and glimpses of neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia. You may like to read about the use of feng shui in deciding the direction of its rotation.
   
5. Eco-tourism: For those into eco-tourism, you might want to explore the nature trails of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, explore the unspoilt Chek Jawa wetlands on Pulau Ubin (one of Singapore's offshore islets) or bird-watch at Sungei Buloh Park.