H7N9 health advisories to be distributed

H7N9 health advisories to be distributed to travellers

The Health Ministry (MOH) is taking additional measures in view of the rising number of reported cases of avian influenza A (H7N9) in China and that Singaporeans are likely to travel abroad during the upcoming school holidays.

The Health Ministry (MOH) is taking additional measures in view of the rising number of reported cases of avian influenza A (H7N9) in China and that Singaporeans are likely to travel abroad during the upcoming school holidays.

Individual Health Advisory Notices (HANs) will be distributed to travellers on flights returning from affected areas in China, starting from noon 20 April at Changi Airport terminals.

The ministry said it is closely monitoring the avian influenza A (H7N9) situation in China and novel Coronavirus in the Middle East.

The HANs, printed in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil, remind travellers to look out for signs and symptoms of flu, such as fever and cough, and seek early medical attention from any medical clinic if they are ill with such symptoms.

MOH said individuals should inform their doctors of their travel history, particularly if they have been to areas in China (Anhui, Beijing, Henan, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang) with reported cases of H7N9.

The HAN also includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates where there are cases of novel Coronavirus.

MOH said as of 18 April, four Singaporeans who developed respiratory illness after returning from China were picked up by the public hospitals' enhanced vigilance and monitoring system.

All four have since tested negative for H7N9.

MOH said it will continue to maintain close contact with the World Health Organization (WHO) and its overseas counterparts to monitor the situation closely and ensure that public health is safeguarded.

MOH reassured that public hospitals here have appropriate infection control measures in place.

It said suspect cases are triaged at emergency departments and as a precaution, separated from non-suspect cases to minimise any risk of transmission.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

New heritage trail launched in Tiong Bahru

New heritage trail launched in Tiong Bahru

A new heritage trail was launched on Sunday in one of Singapore’s oldest housing estates, Tiong Bahru. Tiong Bahru residents and students from Henderson Secondary School will be taking on the role of volunteer guides for the trail.


Spectators at the bird corner in Tiong Bahru estate, watching a bird singing competition. (Photo: Olivia Siong)

A new heritage trail was launched on Sunday in one of Singapore’s oldest housing estates, Tiong Bahru.

Tiong Bahru residents and students from Henderson Secondary School will be taking on the role of volunteer guides for the trail.

Volunteer guide Kong Seng Wah, who has been living in Tiong Bahru for 30 years, said: "When I see so many people come to Tiong Bahru, I feel very proud."

One of the highlights of the trail is the bird corner, which has been around for more than 50 years.

A bird singing competition was organized on Sunday by Link Hotel at Tiong Bahru to bring the buzz back to the area.

Yacob H J Sayuti, who lived in Tiong Bahru for 20 years, commented: "It's good for the old generation and the young generation because you mix around with all the members, gathering and exchanging our stories."

Indranee Rajah, MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, launched the trail. She was asked if Tiong Bahru estate could possibly become a UNESCO World Heritage site.

She responded: "I don't know at the current time, whether Tiong Bahru actually meets that criteria and I think further research has to be done. But if it does meet the criteria, I think it would be a wonderful nomination, simply because as I mentioned earlier, the unique character of the place is something that makes it special, not just to the residents here but to Singapore as well."

With regard to her plans for the rest of the Tanjong Pagar constituency, Ms Rajah said most of the effort so far has been spent on Tiong Bahru.

Now that plans for Tiong Bahru have been tied up, Ms Rajah added they can start looking at other areas. There are no specific plans yet.

Ms Indranee said she has already asked the National Heritage Board and National Library to work with grassroots to incorporate heritage elements in the soon-to-be-upgraded Tanjong Pagar market and hawker centre.

The guided trail kicks off in May. It will be conducted on the first Saturday of the month at 10am and 3pm.

Tours of the air raid shelter will be conducted once every two months from June onwards, at 12 noon and 2pm.

The guided tours will cost visitors S$2. Proceeds will go toward

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Singapore River Cruise

The Bumboat Ride from Singapore River Cruises is a nice Tour of Singapore, when you Travel in Singapore. It's a Singapore Tour down the Singapore River, getting a relaxing view of Merlion Park, Boat Quay, Riverside Point, Grand Copthone Waterfront, Robertson Quay, Liang Court and Raffles Landing Site.

Changi Airport emerges top at Awards

Changi Airport emerges top at Skytrax World Airport Awards 2013

Singapore’s Changi Airport is tops again in this year's Skytrax World Airport Awards. This is the fourth time Changi Airport is named the World's Best Airport. The awards were announced in Geneva on Thursday morning.


Singapore Changi Airport's control tower seen from Terminal 3

Singapore’s Changi Airport is tops again in this year's Skytrax World Airport Awards.

This is the fourth time Changi Airport is named the World's Best Airport.

The awards were announced in Geneva on Thursday morning.

Skytrax chairman Edward Plaisted said: "Changi Airport continues to be a leader and innovator within the industry and is a key reason why it has been ranked amongst the top 3 airports for the last 14 years of the awards."

Changi Airport also picked up the awards for Best Airport in Asia and the Best Airport for Leisure Amenities.

"The vast array of leisure and entertainment facilities really stands out at Changi and serves to highlight the extent to which the airport management has gone to ensure maximum levels of passenger satisfaction. We only have to look at the fact that Changi served more than 50 million passengers for the first time during 2012, to see that it continues to attract customers and maintain its place as one of the world's leading hub airports," added Mr Plaisted.

Changi Airport beat South Korea’s Incheon International Airport to take the top spot. In third place was Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, followed by Hong Kong International Airport, and in fifth place Beijing Capital International Airport.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Construction of Indian Heritage Centre kicks off

Construction of Indian Heritage Centre kicks off

Construction of the Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) kicks off in Little India on Wednesday.


Artist's impression of Indian Heritage Centre.

The Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) held a ceremony in Little India on Wednesday to mark the start of its construction.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam was at the ground-breaking ceremony along with former president S R Nathan and other key supporters of the project.

When completed in 2015, the four-storey building will feature a mix of modern and traditional Indian architectural elements.

It will showcase the origins and heritage of Singapore's Indian community.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Office S Iswaran, who is also the chairman of the Heritage Centre's Steering Committee, said that the centre serves as another key place of interest where visitors can learn more about the Indian community in Singapore.

Mr Iswaran said: "It will add to our tourism infrastructure in Singapore, in the sense that will be one additional iconic location which tourists can use as a reference point when they come to Singapore to better understand our cultural milieu, and the diversity of our society."

～News courtesy of Channel Newsasia～

National Art Gallery by 2015

National Art Gallery on track to becoming Asia's largest visual arts museum

The National Art Gallery is on track to becoming Asia's largest visual arts museum come 2015.

And it promises to be a feast for the senses with its array of Southeast Asian and Singapore art when it opens its doors in time to celebrate Singapore's 50th anniversary.

Boasting 60,000 square metres, the museum will focus on art from the 19th century to recent times.

It aims to strengthen Singapore's role as a regional and inter¬na¬tional hub for visual arts.

Chong Siak Ching, chief executive officer of National Art Gallery, said: "The content within the art gallery is going to be something that we are very proud of. We are going to have two permanent galleries - the Singapore and the Southeast Asian gallery. This would be a good opportunity for Singapore to now showcase some of the really good artworks, art pieces that we have of Singapore artists as well as Southeast Asian artists."

The National Art Gallery will be housed at two national monuments - the City Hall and the former Supreme Court buildings. Both are currently undergoing preservation and a major facelift.

The process started in January 2011 and has been scheduled to take more than 44 months.

Ms Chong said: "It is pretty complex in the whole construction restoration. We want to make sure that we restore as much and preserve as much of what is important and significant, but there are also new construction that is going on. We are gearing up to have it ready for opening in 2015. And you might know that 2015 is our Golden Jubliee year. So our opening year will coincide with a whole series of celebrations for Singapore's 50th anniversary."

And leading these initiatives will be Dr Eugene Tan - the new director of the National Art Gallery.

Dr Tan, who is also a programme director of special projects at the Economic Development Board, was named after an intensive search.

"What I aim for the gallery is really to convey the privilege of experiencing great works of arts through our collections of Singapore and Southeast Asian art," said Dr Tan.

Dr Tan, who will be focusing on exhibitions and programmes for the Gallery, will assume the post on May 15.

～News courtesy of Channel Newsasia～

Pandas star in River Safari's opening

Pandas star in River Safari's opening


Many visitors went to the park to see the pandas. (PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN/MY PAPER)

The countdown to the soft opening of the River Safari ended in a cloud of confetti and a rush of nature lovers into the new park yesterday.

But many of them told My Paper that they were really there to see the giant pandas.

The pandas' enclosure was opened to the public in November last year, ahead of the rest of the River Safari.

British expatriate Gary Butcher, 51, said he originally went to the park with his family to see the pandas.

But, like many other visitors, Mr Butcher, a director in an aviation company, realised that there were other attractions that could rival the bears from China.

After he saw the manatees in the Amazon Flooded Forest attraction - said to be the world's largest freshwater aquarium - he decided they had "a bit of an edge" over the pandas.

"Although I love the pandas, the sight of the manatees is really refreshing. I could just sit for hours watching them," he said, adding that the marine mammals were graceful.

When asked about the popularity of the giant pandas, Ms Patricia Auyeong, acting chief executive of the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore, said the bears are an endangered species, and not many people would have seen them in real life.

So, the panda exhibit "would definitely be the highlight" of the River Safari, and add value to the experience that the park offers, Ms Auyeong said.

And, in being drawn to the park because of the pandas, visitors would also have the opportunity to learn about conservation and other types of wildlife, she added.

The soft opening of the River Safari, the fourth wildlife park run by Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), saw close to 1,500 visitors yesterday. There were over 2,000 visitors on the opening day of the giant pandas' enclosure last year.

The park will be fully open later this year, after other attractions, like a river ride, are ready.

WRS also runs the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park.

~News courtesy of My Paper~

Attractions must rejuvenate to increase tourism yield

S'pore attractions must rejuvenate to increase tourism yield

The government has said that the next phase of tourism growth would have to come from increasing the yield through visitor spending instead of just visitor numbers.

Second Minister for Trade and Industry S Iswaran added that tourism arrivals cannot continue to grow indefinitely due to land and manpower constraints.

Increasingly, tourism industry players like CTC Travel have already begun to plan its inbound travel packages more creatively as it has been seeing a growing number of requests from tourists seeking for a different Singapore experience.

Sylvia Tan, vice-president of channel distribution at CTC Travel, said: "We have actually developed and launched our product brand called Singapore Deep where visitors can get to experience Singapore in a very different way. For example, they can experience the gourmet in Singapore - have a feel of the walk and the talk to understand how bak kut teh comes about before they get to actually savour the dish. They get to learn about our chicken rice, nasi lemak. We find that it is really great and they understand the true story of the whole origin."

"We have also seen more groups coming to Singapore to take up English language courses - whether it's for business or just conversational skills. And by coming for these courses, they also spend on leisure and shopping. There was also a Japanese group who came in to learn the art and skills about manicure and pedicure," she added.

Some industry experts said the Singapore experience should be enhanced to draw more visitors.

"We know that we are unique but we haven't quite drilled down that essence and it would be great if we can find a way to amalgamate the combination of our culture, heritage, tradition and the quirky little things that make us who we are and to spin this national narrative in a way that belongs to everybody," said Walter Lim, vice-chairman of Association of Singapore Attractions.

Lim added: "Once we have got this story put together, then it's how the various tourist destinations and attractions could interpret and tell their part of their story. For example, each attraction could be different chapters of a book. Once you have that in place, then attractions could differentiate themselves through their own branded storytelling mixed with a rich immersive experience. We can then look at merchandising opportunities because traditionally attractions rely on ticketing as the main revenue generating engine.

"If you look at first world cities like Paris - you know there's something Parisian about their attractions such as The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre and the Notre Dame Cathedral. That doesn't mean that every attraction is the same. They all have their own uniqueness but at the same time there's something that binds them together. So the challenge for us is to find a common base or denominator that we can latch on to?"

Mr Lim added that attractions should provide various elements to generate revenue.

"If you visit the River Safari which is about to open, you could just buy a ticket and you go in the safari to walk. But if you want an additional experience, you could go for a river ride on the boat. That would cost you a little more but that could offer a slightly different dimension to the experience."

He added that attractions must refresh themselves regularly to enjoy repeat visits from both tourists and locals.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~