By Tet Andolong
IT’s true that one of the smallest nations in the world, Singapore, is also one of the safest and most advanced in the world. It is an active member of the international community and, as such, it has always concentrated on being a great neighbor by establishing peaceful, social, economic and cordial relations with all countries since its establishment as a sovereign republic in 1965. Its success is attributed to the vision of its former prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who led the country from 1959 to 1990.
Singapore is also one of the world’s wealthiest countries—an arena for the rich, so to speak. One proof of this is the opening of the $6.9-billion Marina Bay Sands Casino Resort and the $5.7-billion Resorts World Sentosa in 2010, which dramatically boosted Singapore’s economy. Business has been constantly booming and, as a result, the country’s central business district now competes with Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris and New York.
The city-state has become popular among tourists because of its fine dining and luxurious hotels, as well as for hosting the only Formula One Grand Prix on the sport’s calendar, which is held at night. Singapore is also known for its beautiful skyscrapers and architecture, as well as its reputation as a medical hub. Visitors love the signature drink Singapore sling, chili crabs and, most of all—the shopping.
High-end luxury brands can be found in Marina Bay Sands and, the mall with floating Louis Vuitton store; the ArtScience Museum, and the famous Skypark, where one can view the entire city and take a dip in an infinity pool that is found in a ship on top of the hotel. One famous shopping district is the Orchard Road area, which has four movie theaters, including an IMAX, 22 malls and six department stores. Paragon is the center store in Orchard.
In addition, Singapore has rich traditions and different cultures, as such, hard-to-find items that can be bought at Little India and Arab Street. Bugis Street has also become a unique retail shopping destination, which now houses almost 800 shops, making it the largest street-shopping location in Singapore. With a unique blend of retail concepts ranging from chic and fashionable clothing and accessories, shopping centers such as Raffles City, the new Marina Square, Suntec City and Vivo City are great.
Many attractions that tourists love to see include the Singapore Flyer; Gardens by the Bay; Botanic Gardens; Chinatown; 100-year-old Raffles Hotel;
Changi Chapel and Museum; Singapore Zoo; Fort Canning Park; Sentosa Island; Clarke Quay; Asian Civilisations Museum and the Pulau Ubin (Granite Island).
In commemoration of Singapore’s 50th anniversary this year, the red dot city is rolling out a series of promotions and special experiences for overseas visitors to join in the Golden Jubilee celebrations. With unbeatable deals in airfares, hotel stays, and shopping offers and privileges galore, there is no better time to visit Singapore now and no better way to fly from Manila to Singapore than with Singapore Airlines (SIA). SIA offers Singapore Explorer Pass, which allows entry into almost 23 different attractions, as well as value-added benefits, such as dining vouchers and even a prepaid SIM card—all from $36 onward.
Singapore’s flag carrier and one of the most successful airlines in the world, Singapore Airlines is a five-star airline. To date, SIA has never posted an annual loss and is a consistent industry leader in service, innovation, efficiency and branding.
Recently, SIA unveiled its new Premium Economy Class seats and the inflight offerings that customers will enjoy, when the new cabin class enters service in August, following a two-year development program and an investment of about $80 million.
Premium Economy Class will welcome customers with a contemporary and stylish design. Each seat has a width of either 18.5 or 19.5 inches, depending on aircraft type, with an 8-inch recline and a seat pitch of 38 inches. Together with active noise canceling headphones and a sleek 13.3-inch full HD monitor, which is the largest in its class, customers can look forward to an enhanced in-flight entertainment experience.
Other features include a full leather finishing, calf-rest and foot-bar for every seat, individual in-seat power supply, two USB ports, personal in-seat reading light, cocktail table, and more storage space for personal items.
“Many of our customers have been asking for a Premium Economy offering and we are confident that what we are delivering will exceed their expectations,” SIA Executive Vice President for Commercial Mak Swee Wah said.
“The new cabin product is the culmination of two years of work, which included extensive research and focus group studies involving customers and our design partners. Our Premium Economy Class will provide customers more comfort and in-flight amenities. Complemented by the exceptional service that Singapore Airlines is so well known for, the new cabin class will be ‘a great new way to fly.’”
Premium Economy Class will provide an extensive range of food and beverage offerings, which includes the Premium Economy Book the Cook service, enabling advance ordering of a selection of main courses.
Priority check-in and baggage handling, with a generous baggage allowance of 35 kilos, will be offered to customers. Members of the KrisFlyer frequent-flyer program will also receive 10 percent more miles when they fly in Premium Economy Class. Premium Economy Class will be progressively introduced in 19 Airbus A380s, 19 Boeing 777-300ERs and the first 20 Airbus A350s. It will enter commercial service on August 9 to Sydney, before being introduced to other destinations, such as Beijing, Delhi, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, London, Mumbai, New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Zurich.