Visitors flock to Singapore Zoo to eye Giant Pandas

Visitors flock to Singapore Zoo to eye Giant Pandas

Jia Jia (Francine Lim, channelnewsasia.com)

The two pandas from China, Kai Kai and Jia Jia, thrilled hordes of visitors on the opening day of the Giant Panda Forest on Thursday.

They were active, moving playfully around their enclosure, as visitors snapped photographs and filmed every action of the pandas.

Some visitors were at the Singapore Zoo, where the Panda Forest is located, before 8am - one hour before the panda's enclosure opened.

Each adult pays an extra S$5 while a child pays an additional S$3 to visit the pandas.

Each ticket holder has 15 minutes in the enclosure.

150 people can go into the enclosure per viewing session.

Tickets for the first few viewing sessions were quickly snapped up.

Wildlife Reserves Singapore said that more than 2,000 visitors met the panda couple on Thursday.

For many families, the outing to the Giant Panda Forest was a school holiday treat.

One mother, Madam Joycelyn Chew, said the visit was a reward for her two young daughters who had done well in their school examinations.

Another visitor, Mr Anond Suwanarat, was there at about 9am, hoping to be among the first to see the pandas.

But the tickets had already been snapped up.

He and his family managed to meet the pandas at 10.40am.

Business analyst Ms Manjula Abeyasinghe, who is on a holiday in Singapore with her family, cancelled plans to go to the Universal Studios Singapore when she heard that the panda enclosure would open to the public on Thursday.

The Giant Panda Forest is the first of the River Safari attractions to open to the public. The rest of the park is expected to be ready by early next year.

Meanwhile, a pair of limited edition female and male panda toys clad in the signature batik motif produced by Singapore Airlines (SIA) has raised S$427,000 for the Community Chest.

The fundraising drive started on September 8, when the panda toys were given to those who donated $20 or more at six locations.

The toy collectibles were then made available for donations on board selected SIA flights through KrisShop.

SIA said the money raised will be used to support programmes for children with special needs.

~/News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Dolphin bound for Marine Life Park dies

Dolphin bound for Marine Life Park dies en route to Singapore

A male dolphin bound for Marine Life Park at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) has died on its flight to Singapore.

Wen Wen, which was estimated to be ten years old, died less than an hour before its plane landed in Singapore.

The dolphin was one of 11 on the three-hour long flight from the Philippines on Thursday.

A Marine Life Park spokesperson said that there were two marine mammal veterinarians and eight marine mammal specialists accompanying and monitoring the dolphins.

The dolphins were also given thorough medical examinations and were deemed healthy before the move.

Another 14 dolphins have already been transported earlier this week from Subic Bay, Philippines, where they were kept for training.

Animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) said that it was saddened by the loss and urged RWS to rehabilitate and release the remaining dolphins back into Solomon Islands waters.

There have been several attempts to block the Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins from being brought to Singapore.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Less satisfied with goods & services

Tourists less satisfied with S'pore goods and services: survey

A survey has found that tourists are less satisfied with the quality of goods and services in Singapore as compared to the year before.

The survey, done by Singapore Management University, saw a year-on-year drop in tourists' customer satisfaction levels.

On a scale of 100, the tourism sector scored 70 points this year, down from 73.5 points in 2011.

The survey polled some 2,500 tourists on their satisfaction levels with attractions, hotels and tour operators in Singapore.

Hotels lead the dip in tourist satisfaction levels, with customer satisfaction levels dropping by 8.2 per cent.

Satisfaction with tour operators, which include travel and ticketing agencies also fell by 6.5 per cent while attractions also logged a 4.6 per cent drop.

Attractions involved in the survey include Universal Studios Singapore, Sentosa and the Singapore Zoological Gardens, among others.

The food and beverage sector saw customer satisfaction levels remain unchanged, with the sector scoring 67.7 points, a marginal improvement of 0.3 points over 2011 results.

On the whole the survey found that tourists were more satisfied with the sector than locals.

The poll also recommended that businesses not under-promise customers, in hopes of over-delivering.

"Putting your resources to reduce expectation essentially lowers your competitiveness. So which then means… is it worthwhile to reduce expectation?" said Caroline Lim, director at the Institute of Service Excellence, Singapore Management University

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

World's largest oceanarium opens

World's largest oceanarium opens Nov 22 at RWS

The Open Ocean Habitat at the Marine Life Park's S.E.A Aquarium possesses the world's largest aquarium viewing panel that is 36 metres wide, 8.3m tall and 70 centremetres thick. (photo: Francine Lim)

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) will open the world's largest oceanarium on November 22.

The S.E.A Aquarium, which is one of the attractions of the Marine Life Park, will be home to 100,000 marine animals of over 800 species in 45 million litres of water.

The centrepiece of the Aquarium is the Open Ocean Habitat with a viewing panel that stands at 8.3 metres tall by 36 metres wide.

Visitors can expect to see manta rays, hammerhead sharks, bottlenose dolphins and other marine creatures.

Thrill-seekers can also look forward to the opening of another attraction, the Adventure Cove Waterpark, which features six water slides as well as one of the world's longest lazy-rivers.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to snorkel with thousands of fish at the Rainbow Reef.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Haji Lane

Xmas cheer expected in Orchard Rd

Xmas cheer expected in Orchard Rd

CHRISTMAS ON A GREAT STREET: Orchard Road shoppers can look forward to folklore-inspired Christmas decorations. Festive lights will be switched on from 7pm tomorrow. (PHOTOS: ORCHARD ROAD BUSINESS ASSOCIATION)

Despite warnings of an impending economic slowdown, retailers in Orchard Road are still expecting business to remain brisk during the year-end festive season this year.

This is especially because the unemployment rate here remains low and there is still a high level of job security, said Mrs May Sng, chairman of the Orchard Road Business Association (Orba).

Speaking at a media conference on the upcoming annual Orchard Road Christmas light-up yesterday, she noted that Singaporeans were prepared to spend "in the spirit of the festive season", even during a recession in 2008 and 2009.

"(Retailers) are still very optimistic. The overall month-on-month spending level of shoppers in Orchard Road so far has been generally comfortable," she said.

"We certainly don't expect sales to be lower than last year's, but by how much it will grow is what we can't tell."

Some 6.57 million people visited both Orchard Road and Marina Bay during the Christmas season last year, an increase from 6.06 million in 2010.

And despite heavy rains, sales for Orchard Road merchants last December rose by between 10 per cent and 12 per cent from 2010, based on a survey of 12 major retailers conducted by Orba last year.

The festive lights in Orchard Road this year will be switched on from 7pm tomorrow, with President Tony Tan as the guest of honour at the official light-up ceremony held at ION Orchard.

Shoppers this year can look forward to folklore-inspired Christmas decorations, with nutcracker soldiers and toy trains alongside classic festive ornaments, such as doves, hearts and snowflakes.

Giant ornaments will also hang overhead from the many trees that line Orchard Road.

These ornaments will be accompanied by some 1,390 strings of 3m-long Christmas baubles.

Set to the theme of Christmas On A Great Street, this year's light-up and decorations will divide the 2.2km shopping strip into three zones, each with its own motif: Tree For Joy at the Tanglin zone, Heart For Love at the Orchard zone and Dove For Peace at the Somerset zone.

A new addition to the festivities this year will be gift shops in front of Tang Plaza and Ngee Ann City, where shoppers will be able to take home a piece of Orchard Road's annual Christmas light-up.

Limited-edition keepsakes - such as tote bags, T-shirts, keychains and mugs featuring this year's Christmas decorations - will be sold there.

To add to the festive cheer, nightly live-music performances will be held at four areas along the Orchard Road walkway between Scotts Road and Bideford Road.

~News courtesy of Omy~

Little India - Deepavali lightings

photo courtesy of STB

Singapore River

Christmas trees light up Marina Bay

Christmas trees light up Marina Bay for a good cause

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Marina Bay, which has been transformed with Christmas trees, and all for a good cause.

From 9 November till 28 December, 25 decorated trees, known as ChariTrees, will light up the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade every night after 7pm.

They include 17 live trees and eight "eco-trees", which are made with recyclable material by students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

The trees have been bought and decorated by the Community Chest's corporate partners.

The light up, which is jointly organised by Community Chest and the Urban Redevelopment Authority, have already raised some S$235,000, marking a 78 per cent increase over the amount raised last year.

Members of the public can make a contribution at the Marina Bay City Gallery from 10 November to 28 December 2012.

For every S$10 donated, they will receive a Christmas ornament which can be personalised and hung on the Community Chest ChariTree along the Waterfront Promenade.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Heavy traffic expected at checkpoints

Heavy traffic expected at Woodlands, Tuas checkpoints over Deepavali

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) expects traffic flow through the checkpoints at Woodlands and Tuas to be heavy over the coming weekend ahead of the Deepavali public holiday on November 13.

ICA advises travellers to car-pool or make use of public transport.

In addition, Singaporeans who are issued with the BioPass or are registered with the National Registration Office, are encouraged to use the enhanced Immigration Automated Clearance System (eIACS) lanes at the bus halls for immigration clearance.

Travellers leaving Singapore by the Woodlands or Tuas Checkpoints are advised to check on the traffic situation at the checkpoints before they start their journey.

The various platforms available are TrafficWatch on radio, the Land Transport Authority's One Motoring website, and the traffic information hotline at 68630117.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

New museum wing to feature Fujian artefacts

New museum wing to feature Fujian artefacts

Visitors to the Asian Civilisations Museum can look forward to learning about the "rich and complicated" historical connection between the Fujian province in China and Singapore.

New artefacts related to Fujian culture, as well as more pieces from Singapore's national collection, will be housed in a new $5.5-million wing to be ready by 2015.

Of a $5-million donation from the Hong Leong Foundation, a long-time supporter of the museum, $500,000 will go towards acquiring artefacts related to Fujian culture.

It is the museum's biggest single cash donation to date.

Dr Alan Chong, the museum's director, told reporters at a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday: "We're very keen to show how China relates to the rest of the world through trade, migration, immigration and exchange.

"Fujian, especially, was a homeland for so many immigrants to South-east Asia, not just in Singapore, but also in the countries which are now Malaysia and Indonesia."

The titanium-clad wing - the museum's first extension since it moved to its current premises in Empress Place from Armenian Street in 2003 - will span 869 sq m over three storeys and house three new galleries.

Designed by Singapore architecture firm GreenhilLi, the wing will boast a modern look and feel. For instance, its ground-floor atrium will be "bright and open, and allow people to look in from the street", said Dr Chong.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Muscat Street to enhance Kampong Glam

Redeveloped Muscat Street to enhance Kampong Glam

The Muscat Street redevelopment project will be officially opened on Thursday.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law K. Shanmugam will co-officiate the launch event with Oman's Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sayyid Badr Hamad Al-Busaidi.

The project is a joint initiative between Singapore and Oman.

The redeveloped Muscat Street will provide a new space for the local community to gather and organise social activities, as well as to enhance Kampong Glam.

At the launch event, there will be dance performances by Omani and local Malay dance troupes.

There will also be an Omani photo exhibition, as well as an Omani henna artist and an Omani calligrapher displaying his wares.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~