The opening of the doors to Singapore’s first legal casino open on Sunday is an event almost five years in the making.First time visitors will be pleased to find “Gods of Fortune” roving in their midst. And besides the symbolic characters, who will hand out commemorative items and red packets, a dragon dance performance will add to the gaiety of the celebrations.
It is the single most important event that Resorts World Singapore (RWS) and parent company Genting International had been hoping for. The announcement yesterday that the “auspicious” time will be 12.18pm, on the first day of the Chinese New Year, capped a week of frenzied guessing about the casino’s opening date.In Cantonese,1218 means "It is easy to prosper!" as it is spoken.
The bugbear though is that Universal Studios theme park will not be open for rides as yet. However,as a teaser, RWS is offering the public a one-week sneak preview at S$10 (RM24.27) to stroll through the grounds.
Restaurants and shops will open from 5pm to 9pm until Feb 21, and the park is expected to be ready in early March.“We’re ready to soft-open the casino but are still fine-tuning the rides and shows in the theme park,” RWS chief executive officer Tan Hee Teck said. “However, since it’s Chinese New Year, we decided to offer Singaporeans ... a special and unique first-to-see walk-through opportunity.”
Senior Minister of State (Trade and Industry) S Iswaran told Mediacorp the casino opening was “good” progress on the part of RWS as it rolls out its facilities.
“The important thing is that the opening of these important additions to our tourism landscape are done in a smooth manner and in a manner that preserves the visitor experience, so that people will ... come back,” he said.
Sales of the preview tickets and casino levy start today at 11.18am. And if the crowds flow from the get-go, the resort says it is ready.
Even taxi drivers, some of whom were given a familiarisation tour, seem prepared. Kelvin Ang, 43, who picked up his first RWS-bound passenger two days ago, said: “You just need to observe the signboards, and it’s easy to drive in.”
Chang Yeng Cheong, general manager of nearby VivoCity, told Mediacorp his mall would be managing its car park to prevent traffic chaos by, for example, restricting entry of taxis to those with alighting passengers and cabs ‘On Call’ and by deploying security guards to facilitate the flow of cars going through the Sentosa Gateway.
Ace Ong, senior shop manager of Haagen-Dazs in VivoCity, is expecting a 20- to 30-per-cent increase in the number of customers and the management will deploy more staff for the first seven days of Chinese New Year.
Meanwhile, staff at The Merlion on Sentosa are anticipating an initial loss of visitors to RWS, but are positive about the spill-over effect in the long-term.
For some Singaporeans, it may be too last-minute to be part of a historic first day.
Sales executive David Loh said: “I’ll want to go to the casino with a large group of friends as it will be more fun. But as everyone is busy with visitations on the first day of Chinese New Year, I’d go on the second day if I were to go.”
When MediaCorp visited RWS yesterday afternoon, staff were buzzing with preparations for the opening. Huge red lanterns hung from the ceiling, pots of brightly coloured flowers lined the walkways. Drilling and hammering sounded from every direction.
Workers were putting the final touches to shop signages, others swept and dusted. Staff huddled at the casino reception for crowd control instructions and rehearsed their duties.
Over at Marina Bay Sands, the resort is working closely with the Casino Regulatory Authority to obtain its casino license and for a soft opening hopefully in April.
Spokeswoman Val Chua said hotel rooms up to the 35th storey have been fitted out with carpets and fixtures.
The construction team is also working on the interior of the Sands Expo and Convention Center.
“The complex wave-shaped roofs on the lower buildings are nearly complete and the Event Plaza at the centre of Marina Bay is nearly finished. Internationally renowned artists are completing work on huge art installations,” said Chua.
Looks like Singapore is the ultimate winner in the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment