World’s best airport for fourth straight year

Changi Airport voted world’s best airport for fourth straight year

Changi Airport has been voted the World’s Best Airport for the fourth year in a row, according to an annual global survey of air travellers.

This is the seventh time in 16 years that the airport has picked up the title at the World Airport Awards. The airport was also awarded Best Airport for Leisure Amenities.

The awards are based on a Skytrax survey of 13.25 million travellers across 106 nationalities, and included 550 airports worldwide.

Coming in second place was South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, followed by Munich Airport and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda). In fifth place was the Hong Kong International Airport, followed by Chubu Centrair Nagoya and Zurich Airport. London’s Heathrow Airport, Kansai International Airport and Hamad International Airport took the eighth, ninth and 10th spots, respectively.

"To be voted by customers as the world's best airport four years in succession is a most remarkable achievement for Changi Airport Singapore, and is clear testament to the airport's popularity amongst air travellers,” said Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted.

Changi Airport Group CEO Lee Seow Hiang said: "We do not take this recognition for granted; it is the extraordinary effort and commitment of the entire airport community that drives Changi’s success. We thank our passengers and partners alike for their continued support and confidence in us."

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort named top hotel for families in Asia

Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort named top hotel for families in Asia

The Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort in Pattaya, Thailand, as well as Johor Bahru's LEGOLAND Hotel were also among the top 10 named in TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Hotels in Asia for families.

The Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Resort has been ranked the top family hotel in Asia due to its kid-friendly facilities and proximity to attractions, according to travel site TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice awards for Family Hotels.

“We are honoured to be recognised by TripAdvisor as the top Travellers’ Choice family hotel in Asia. It is a pleasure to serve the many families staying with us at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa and to help create happy memories for them that will last a lifetime," said Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort's General Manager Henry Lee.

According to a media release on Tuesday (Mar 1), Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort, located in Pattaya, Thailand came in second, while Johor Bahru's LEGOLAND Hotel was sixth on the list.

Top 10 Travellers' Choice hotels in Asia for families

1. Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort, Singapore

2. Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort, Pattaya, Thailand

3. Bamboo Banks Farm Guest House, Masinagudi, India

4. Keys Prima Hotel Temple Tree, Shirdi, India

5. Sanur Paradise Plaza Suites, Sanur, Indonesia

6. LEGOLAND Malaysia Hotel, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

7. Royal Plaza Hotel, Hong Kong, China

8. JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, Mai Khao, Thailand

9. The Trans Luxury Hotel. Bandung, Indonesia

10. Hotel Nikko Alivila Yomitan Resort Okinawa, Yomitan-son, Japan

However, none of the hotels in Asia's top 10 made it to the list of 10 most family-friendly hotels in the world. The Cavallino Bianco Family Spa Grand Hotel in Ortisei, Italy came in tops, followed by the Salinas do Maragogi All-Inclusive Resort in Maragogi, Brazil. The Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, was third.

The Travellers' Choice awards are determined by millions of reviews and opinions from travellers around the world, TripAdvisor said. For the Family Hotels segment, an algorithm that takes into account the quantity and quality of reviews from travellers on TripAdvisor emphasising reviews marked as a family stay gathered over a 12-month period was used to name the winners, according to the travel site.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Happy Chinese New Year

Revamped Chinatown Heritage Centre opens

Revamped Chinatown Heritage Centre opens

The Chinatown Heritage Centre on Friday (Jan 8) unveiled new features for its visitors, following renovations that started in October 2014. The new exhibits promise a multi-sensory experience of the Chinatown of yore.

Visitors to the centre can catch a glimpse of what it was like to live in an overcrowded shophouse in the 1950s, aided by ambient soundscapes and audio conversations, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Chinatown Heritage Centre said in a joint news release.

The centre is now also home to a replica of a tailor shop from the olden days. STB said visitors can learn about what being a tailor was like in that era, as well as what his interactions with his apprentices and family were like.

The Chinatown Heritage Centre features a replica of a tailor shop, many of which used to line the streets of Chinatown. (Photo: Ngau Kai Yan)

A gallery depicting Chinatown in the 1960s shows mock-ups of a street market, heritage shops and activities on the street, which aim to present stories of a grittier Chinatown during that time. And scents of traditional Chinese medicine at a physician's cubicle offer a whiff of old Chinatown.

A new gallery on the physical transformation of post-1960s Chinatown has also been introduced. The gallery will trace the physical transformation of the area and stories from those that make up Chinatown in the present day. CEO of Hock Lam Beef Tina Tan as well as Lepark co-founder Carmen Low will be featured, said the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Chinatown Heritage Centre.

A new gallery explaining the physical transformation of Chinatown, as well as personal stories behind its modern facade. (Photo: Chinatown Heritage Centre) A space has also been set aside to hold temporary exhibits and community events, allowing the centre to be a venue for community engagement.

Visitors to the Heritage Centre will also have the opportunity to take part in immersive tours. For instance, guides will will take visitors through the exhibits whilst adopting the character of a samsui woman or trishaw rider.

STB and the Chinatown Heritage Centre said the renovation is part of the tourism board's overall enhancement efforts in Chinatown, which includes the rejuvenation of the Chinatown Food Street and launch of a free Wi-Fi service in Chinatown itself.

Admission costs S$12 for adults and S$8 for children, while seniors aged 65 and above get in free with each paying adult. All admission fees will go up by S$3 after the official launch on January 28.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

River Hongbao Festival to usher in Year of the Monkey

River Hongbao Festival to usher in Year of the Monkey

For nine days, visitors will get to see more than 60 large lanterns, an 18-metre God of Fortune statue sprinkling gold confetti and for the first time, nightly fireworks shows.

Expect a bigger, splashier River Hongbao Festival when it returns for a 30th year, to mark the upcoming Year of the Monkey. It opens on Feb 6 and will run till Feb 14 at the Float @Marina Bay.

For the first time, there will also be a fireworks show at 9pm every night, with the exception of Chinese New Year Eve, when the show will come on at midnight.

Among the displays at this year's festival are a giant mural wall with painted characters of famous Chinese folklore Journey to the West. There will also be an 18-metre God of Fortune statue that will sprinkle gold confetti.

More than 60 lanterns built by artisans from China will be on display, including depictions of the heavenly peach banquet and the Monkey King.

The attraction is open from 2pm to 11pm daily except on the eve of Chinese New Year when it will remain open until 1am.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas