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  Straits Times Online 7 Dec 06
A Genting win will benefit Singapore
Letter from Lau Chee Kian

Straits Times Online 7 Dec 06
Make Sentosa's integrated resort a symbol of national pride
Letter from Kwek Li Yong

Straits Times Online 7 Dec 06
Go for the iconic, avoid the insipid
Letter from Ong Phui Luong

I REFER to the article, 'Sentosa IR race: Who will win?'' (The Sunday Times, Dec 3).

I find the writer's take on which bidder will be selected to develop the Sentosa integrated resort very economical and safe.

No doubt, this approach has worked well in Singapore many times. It will give us a resort that is packed with features, economically optimised, comfortable to most, but insipid and hardly iconic.

The decision this time round is like no other. In our quest to be a truly global city and our search for the 'wow' factor, we can afford a little risk, trade a little function for aesthetics, economics for uniqueness, and familiarity for icons.

Hence, my choice would be Kerzner/CapitaLand's bid. Where else in Asia can one find another Frank Gehry work and a robotic wonderland? This is not only 'magical' but will also appeal to a wider group of people and be more sustainable in the long run than a football school, a cooking school when we are hardly a culinary capital, a marine research institute far away from the ocean, maritime museum or another ultra-large hall.

To attract the tourist numbers the Singapore Tourism Board hopes to achieve, we need more than just the Sentosa IR.

We can have the 'usual' theme park at Marina East, collections of boutique hotels at the Southern Islands, celebrated chefs /restaurants doting the city and perhaps another Request for Proposal for the central promontory.

Let's see the Sentosa bid not as a single commercial decision, but with the perspective of recreating Singapore. We need to seek for Sentosa what we could not have done in another site in Singapore, and bearing in mind that an offering like Frank Gehry's is available only this time round.

Straits Times Online 7 Dec 06
A Genting win will benefit Singapore
Letter from Lau Chee Kian

I REFER to the articles, 'Harry's Island at cinemas worldwide?' (ST, Nov 30) and 'Free nightly show, says Eighth Wonder' (ST, Dec 1).

Having resided on both sides of the US continent for seven years, I wonder if Eighth Wonder or, for that matter, Kerzner-CapitaLand can attract the tourist numbers that Singapore wants.

Very often, visitors would want me to spend time with them at Disney or Universal Studios and, to a lesser extent, Six Flags or Sea World. Hardly anyone would care to visit Getty Center, Guggenheim, Atlantis or, for that matter, the Volcano at Las Vegas.

Most would want to have a fun day for themselves and their families at Disney and Universal Studios. Not many would want to get wet. Hardly anyone would want to gawk at architecture.

At Disney and Universal Studios, you can see their smiling faces, and feel their excitement. Universal Studios is a very recognisable name.

Genting's partner, Star Cruises, the third largest in the world, could use Singapore as a hub for their guests.

The other two contenders lack this and an attraction like Universal Studios. Can you imagine Universal Studios and the cruise business going to one of our immediate neighbours? Disney may or may not come in later. If Genting wins, Singapore wins - if tourism is what Singapore values.

Straits Times Online 7 Dec 06
Make Sentosa's integrated resort a symbol of national pride
Letter from Kwek Li Yong

I refer to the article "Who will win?"(ST, Dec 3), on reporter Krist Boo's prediction that Genting International would win the integrated resort bid for Sentosa, going by the economic criteria set by the Singapore Government.

Over the last two months, the media have reported the plans of the three bidders for the Sentosa Integrated Resort, namely Genting, Kerzner-Capitaland and Eighth Wonder. Unofficial polls revealed that Singaporeans and tourists' interest are in the unique concept plan drawn up by the Eight Wonder team.

However, based on the strength of each consortium, I acknowledge the fact that Eighth Wonder does not have the expertise in running an integrated resort or building a casino. The gaming giant from Malaysia has the upper hand in this key aspect.

Eighth Wonder has launched its website to inform the public of its bid. My friends and I have visited the website repeatedly and we are hugely impressed by the mystical design and futuristic concept of the resort. It is indeed unqiue.

While Genting may boast of Universal Studios as one of its partners and Kerzner has immense experience in running the Atlantis, they are neither unique nor special to the new generation in Singapore.

Youngsters like me and my friends have now a symbol of pride in the magical volcano and aquarium of Harry's Island. We hope to offer our services there in future. Likewise, a majority of Singaporeans feel the same way too, despite the concept being in the initial stages.

In my opinion, Singapore needs an integrated resort that is more than a tourist attraction. We need a place where we can tell the world that we are unique in our own way and it is not an idea that is borrowed from elsewhere. Then we can feel proud of this country and believe in this symbol of a dream and hope, something which Genting and Kerzner do not offer.

We can earn millions of dollars from the tried-and-tested projects of Genting and Atlantis. But we can only build a symbol of national pride if we are daring and believe in a new hope, Harry's Island.
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