27 April 2010
Marina Bay Sands opens its doors
Hundreds flock to Marina Bay Sands on opening day
SINGAPORE
- Singapore threw open the doors of its second integrated resort Tuesday,
giving a fresh boost to the city's tourism sector and raising its profile
as a playground for the world's high-rollers. The
5.5 billion US dollar Marina Bay Sands, built by US gaming giant Las
Vegas Sands, opened at 3:18 pm local time (0718 GMT), which is associated
with prosperity according to Chinese geomancy experts.
It
is Las Vegas Sands' latest big-time bet on the future of Asia's gaming
industry and is its first casino in Asia outside Macau. Las
Vegas Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson said he expects to recoup his Singapore
investment in five years, and described the development as the company's
most valuable property so far. He
expects 70,000 to 80,000 people to visit the complex daily when all
the facilities are open. Singapore
gave the green light for casino gambling in 2005, setting off a flurry
of construction that went ahead despite the city-state slipping into
recession in 2008 because of the global financial crisis. Its
first casino, the 4.4 billion US-dollar Resorts World Sentosa built
by Malaysia's Genting Group, opened for business on February 14.
Marina
Bay Sands was originally set to open at the end of 2009 but faced repeated
delays caused by a number of factors, including material and labour
shortages and financial problems due to the downturn. Tuesday's
opening includes the casino and 963 out of 2,560 hotel rooms, a portion
of the shopping mall, some restaurants, an exhibition centre and the
events plaza. The
remaining hotel rooms and suites, a skypark and more shops will open
on June 23, while a museum, theatres and other stores will start operations
later in the year, the management said.
Officials
hope the casinos will help Singapore achieve a target of attracting
17 million visitors a year generating over 21 billion US dollars by
2015. "This
second casino is another boost to the economy, which has been doing
much better," said economist David Cohen at research house Action
Economics. "It
should support tourist arrivals, and the retail sector should benefit
from that especially now in the midst of the improving global outlook."
CIMB
economist Song Seng Wun said the two casinos will add depth to Singapore's
hospitality industry. "Singapore
is not the cheapest place to come to but it offers something different
for travellers either for leisure or business," he told AFP. After
shrinking 2.0 percent last year, Singapore's trade-reliant economy is
projected to grow by up to nine percent this year, the government said.
But
economists said the additional boost from the services sector, which
includes tourism, could enable Singapore to surpass the targets. Marina
Bay Sands is designed to cater to the corporate and convention crowd
while Resorts World is aimed at families.
The
Marina Bay Sands casino will offer 600 gaming tables, more than 1,500
slot machines and over 30 private gaming rooms. It
occupies four floors, the bottom two for mass gaming and the upper section
for premium players. The
Resorts World complex, located on Sentosa island, includes Southeast
Asia's only Universal Studios movie theme park, hotels, restaurants
and convention facilities. Adelson
told reporters the two integrated resorts should "work together"
to bring in more visitors. "Our
success doesn't depend on their failure, neither does their success
depend on our failure," said Adelson, who flew in for the opening.
Carter
Lee, 60, who had flown from Hawaii was among dozens of punters wanting
to get their first try at the casino. "If
my luck is running good, I'll spend more. If it's down, I'll get up
and walk away," he told AFP. Lee
Kim Lian, 68, from Kuala Lumpur, said she arrived Monday with 10,000
Singapore dollars (7,300 US) in cash. "I'll
call my friends and family in Kuala Lumpur to come down tonight,"
she said. - AFP/vm
