An ice cream museum and another thrill ride in Clarke Quay are some of the new attractions Singaporeans can expect from this year, as Singapore seeks to enhance its attractiveness to prepare its hard-hit tourism sector for recovery.
Sentosa will also welcome its own attraction next year, the SkyHelix Sentosa, an open-air rotating gondola that will ascend 35m above ground and offer views of Singapore’s southern coast.
There are also plans to have a new attraction at the vacant site between Somerset Skate Park and Killiney Road, as part of a plan to test-bed new concepts in Orchard Road.
Announcing these plans on April 7 at the Tourism Industry Conference, an annual event organised by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) for industry players, chief executive of STB Keith Tan said these new projects will help to support the tourism sector and increase its attractiveness.
“These projects are a welcome breath of fresh air amongst all the negativity and bad news in the last year. Since the pandemic hit, we have focused on how to weather this ‘long winter,'” Mr Tan said, adding that it is now time to focus on how Singapore can prepare for the future and thrive to become an attractive destination.
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The Museum of Ice Cream will be setting up shop in Dempsey in August, making it the first time the United States-based attraction is venturing abroad.
Announcing the launch on April 12, the museum said plans to open in Singapore have been three years in the making.
Visitors to the Museum of Ice Cream will be guided through 14 multi-sensory installations spread over 60,000 sq ft of space, all dedicated to ice cream, which they will also get to try during their visit.
While the museum originates from the US, it will have a Singapore-inspired Dragon Playground at Dempsey.
Another highlight will be a sprinkle pool billed as the museum’s largest to date.
The sprinkles, which resemble the confectionery typically used to decorate desserts, are actually made from antimicrobial biodegradable material and are disinfected regularly.
The museum will abide by hygiene, safe distancing and logistical guidelines that will keep visitors safe, said STB’s Mr Tan.
There will be a maximum capacity of 200 guests at any one time.
Founded in New York in 2016, the museum sold out quickly when it popped up in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami.
Advance tickets to visit in August can be reserved from April 12 on the museum’s website. Tickets start from $38 a person. The museum will open from 10am to 9pm, Thursday to Sunday.
Also set to open in the second half of this year is the Slingshot, a thrill ride located in Clarke Quay next to current attraction GX-5 Extreme Swing, where riders are dropped from a height of 40m.
The Slingshot will be the tallest in Asia and see riders being catapulted almost 70m into the air, reaching a speed of 160km per hour. The ride, which can also be found in 70 other locations, will replace the G-Max Reverse Bungee, a similar ride which stopped operating about two years ago.
Tickets will be similarly priced to the GX-5 Extreme Swing, which costs about $45 for adults and $35 for students.
Visitors who are not adrenaline junkies can look forward to the SkyHelix Sentosa, where they can enjoy a drink on a rotating platform while taking in views stretching from Sentosa to the Keppel Bay area.
One Faber Group, which runs services, attractions and food and beverage outlets in and around Sentosa, said SkyHelix Sentosa will “deliver a new recreational experience and add excitement to the cluster of attractions at Imbiah Lookout”.
The first of its kind in Singapore, it will be located a short walk from Sentosa’s cable car station.
Apart from these new projects, STB will also continue to refresh tourism attractions and precincts in Singapore, said Mr Tan.
For example, STB is working with the Orchard Road Business Association to scale up its offerings of its signature Christmas on a Great Street during the year-end festive period light-up, as well as its Black Friday events later this year.
Versions of this article were first published in The Straits Times on April 7 and April 12.