9.2m visitors to Sentosa in first half of 2011

9.2m visitors to Sentosa in first half of 2011

The number of people visiting Sentosa rose to some 9.2 million in the first half of this year.

Sentosa Leisure Group said that represented an 18 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

CEO of Sentosa Development Corporation, Mike Barclay, said this puts the island on track to register 20 million visitors for the whole year.

Outside of Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), locals made up 49 per cent of visitors to the island, while four-in-10 leisure and business tourists who visited Singapore also visited Sentosa.

Asian countries - in particular Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia - remain big growth markets for Sentosa.

The Sentosa Leisure Group said more options will be added to the island's range of leisure and lifestyle offerings in the coming months to position the island as a compelling leisure and lifestyle destination.

As part of its masterplan to enhance offerings along the beach, a series of developments have been planned for Palawan Beach.

The Palawan Walk will feature an 800-metre landscaped walkway that connects restaurants and the food court along the Beach Station and Palawan Beach, and is scheduled to open in 2012.

The centerpiece of the Palawan Walk is a water-play area built around a replica of a giant pirate ship, which also houses a kids club and a family restaurant.

A Family Entertainment Centre will also be built on Palawan Beach to offer more family-themed activities in the area.

Meanwhile, plans for Sentosa's intra-island cableway, which will enhance connectivity between the different clusters of attractions on the island, are on track for completion in 2014.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~