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April 2, 2009
Sentosa attractions
Prices go up <!--10 min-->
Charges at 4 visitor draws raised by between $1 and $6, despite tourism slump <!-- headline one : start --> <!-- headline one : end --> <!-- Author --> <!-- show image if available --> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr></tr> <tr> </tr> <tr> </tr> <tr> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold">By Lim Wei Chean </td></tr> <tr valign="bottom"> <td width="330">
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FOUR attractions on Sentosa have increased their prices, bucking what has become almost the industry standard for theme parks and rides - lowered rates, bundled deals and plentiful discounts. Starting on Wednesday, admission charges for Songs of the Sea, the cable car, Sentosa Luge & Skyride and the Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom went up by between $1 and $6.
This move has baffled some in the industry as Singapore battles a recession and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has projected a 6 to 11 per cent drop in tourist arrivals. In fact, to counter the common public perception that Singapore attractions are expensive, STB launched a marketing blitz in February called 2009 Reasons to Visit Singapore, aimed at offering visitors more bang for the buck.
On Thursday, with the Association of Singapore Attractions, it introduced a new pass which gives $2 off or a 20 per cent discount on admission charges to more than 30 local attractions. However, Sentosa Leisure Group's commercial director Susan Ang defended the $2 increase for the twice-nightly show Songs of the Sea, which features a live cast, pyrotechnics, water jets and lasers set to music. She said it was just part of its 'move to phase in adjustments in our admission pricing'. Since its opening in March 2007, it has raised prices by $2 every year, starting from the opening promotion price of $6. Two other Sentosa attractions said their increase was an attempt to give more value for money.
Sentosa Luge & Skyride general manager Lyndon Thomas said it has increased family tickets by $1 but lifted a child's age from 12 years to 16 years, allowing more to qualify for the family rate. He added that customers who buy two rides will also get a $2 discount, 'making the attraction better value for money'. Over at the Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom, the $6 increase gave visitors a bundled deal with two options: a free 6R photo with new exhibits like the parrots and macaws, or a hot dog and soft drink meal.
Read the full report in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table id="story_comments" style="" border="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr id="comments_body" style=""><td>
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td class="heading">Latest comments</td></tr> <tr><td id="messageDisplayRegion" width="100%"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="Post" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">That's nuts. I've already stopped patronising most, if not all, F&B outlets in Sentosa during the rare times I visit.
It is either easier, better and cheaper bringing in your own food, or make a quick trip to Vivocity to get takeaways.
The island's only selling point is it got better beaches than Singapore island.
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Posted by: coolbeagle at Fri Apr 03 10:32:43 SGT 2009
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="AlternatePost" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">with daily bombardment of news of massive retrenchment, folding business, long queues of job seekers, wonder where sentosa found the intelligence for the move..
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Posted by: gemini58 at Fri Apr 03 10:10:46 SGT 2009
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="Post" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">They think it is just simple maths....visitors down, so entrance fee up and revenue unchanged. Let's wait and see the result.
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Posted by: alternateview at Fri Apr 03 09:24:23 SGT 2009
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="AlternatePost" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">this may shun locals but not tourists. tourists don't know the previous rates. blur blur come in, blur blur pay.
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Posted by: the_ultimate at Fri Apr 03 08:32:16 SGT 2009
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="Post" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Brilliant strategy from their well paid CEO!
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Posted by: SeenItAll at Fri Apr 03 08:15:19 SGT 2009
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April 2, 2009
Sentosa attractions
Prices go up <!--10 min-->
Charges at 4 visitor draws raised by between $1 and $6, despite tourism slump <!-- headline one : start --> <!-- headline one : end --> <!-- Author --> <!-- show image if available --> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr></tr> <tr> </tr> <tr> </tr> <tr> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold">By Lim Wei Chean </td></tr> <tr valign="bottom"> <td width="330">

</td><td width="10">
</td><td valign="bottom">
</td></tr></tbody></table> <!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->
FOUR attractions on Sentosa have increased their prices, bucking what has become almost the industry standard for theme parks and rides - lowered rates, bundled deals and plentiful discounts. Starting on Wednesday, admission charges for Songs of the Sea, the cable car, Sentosa Luge & Skyride and the Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom went up by between $1 and $6.
This move has baffled some in the industry as Singapore battles a recession and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has projected a 6 to 11 per cent drop in tourist arrivals. In fact, to counter the common public perception that Singapore attractions are expensive, STB launched a marketing blitz in February called 2009 Reasons to Visit Singapore, aimed at offering visitors more bang for the buck.
On Thursday, with the Association of Singapore Attractions, it introduced a new pass which gives $2 off or a 20 per cent discount on admission charges to more than 30 local attractions. However, Sentosa Leisure Group's commercial director Susan Ang defended the $2 increase for the twice-nightly show Songs of the Sea, which features a live cast, pyrotechnics, water jets and lasers set to music. She said it was just part of its 'move to phase in adjustments in our admission pricing'. Since its opening in March 2007, it has raised prices by $2 every year, starting from the opening promotion price of $6. Two other Sentosa attractions said their increase was an attempt to give more value for money.
Sentosa Luge & Skyride general manager Lyndon Thomas said it has increased family tickets by $1 but lifted a child's age from 12 years to 16 years, allowing more to qualify for the family rate. He added that customers who buy two rides will also get a $2 discount, 'making the attraction better value for money'. Over at the Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom, the $6 increase gave visitors a bundled deal with two options: a free 6R photo with new exhibits like the parrots and macaws, or a hot dog and soft drink meal.
Read the full report in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table id="story_comments" style="" border="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr id="comments_body" style=""><td>
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td class="heading">Latest comments</td></tr> <tr><td id="messageDisplayRegion" width="100%"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="Post" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">That's nuts. I've already stopped patronising most, if not all, F&B outlets in Sentosa during the rare times I visit.
It is either easier, better and cheaper bringing in your own food, or make a quick trip to Vivocity to get takeaways.
The island's only selling point is it got better beaches than Singapore island.
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Posted by: coolbeagle at Fri Apr 03 10:32:43 SGT 2009
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="AlternatePost" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">with daily bombardment of news of massive retrenchment, folding business, long queues of job seekers, wonder where sentosa found the intelligence for the move..
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Posted by: gemini58 at Fri Apr 03 10:10:46 SGT 2009
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="Post" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">They think it is just simple maths....visitors down, so entrance fee up and revenue unchanged. Let's wait and see the result.
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Posted by: alternateview at Fri Apr 03 09:24:23 SGT 2009
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="AlternatePost" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">this may shun locals but not tourists. tourists don't know the previous rates. blur blur come in, blur blur pay.
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Posted by: the_ultimate at Fri Apr 03 08:32:16 SGT 2009
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left"><table class="Post" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Brilliant strategy from their well paid CEO!
</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Posted by: SeenItAll at Fri Apr 03 08:15:19 SGT 2009
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