With Singapore’s month-long Phase 2 Heightened Alert restrictions coinciding with the first two weeks of the June school holidays, which start today, the city-state’s most popular attractions are giving up hopes of welcoming increased visitorship from families with children.
The new measures require attractions to further reduce their operating capacity to 25 per cent – from 50 per cent previously– and limit group sizes to only two. Dining-in services at F&B venues are also suspended.
According to a Wildlife Reserves Singapore spokesperson, booking slots on their website have been capped within the new permissible capacity and they are already assisting guests who prefer to defer their outings. Their zoological parks include the Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo.
Shows will be performed to a maximum crowd of 50 guests, while animal token feedings will continue in pairs.
To enable more consumers to enjoy the wildlife experience despite reduced access, Wildlife Reserves Singapore has invited customers to join a range of virtual programmes, during which they can interact with animals and keepers remotely.
Operating hours at various family-friendly attractions on Sentosa island have also been revised, according to a Resorts World Sentosa spokesperson. Universal Studios Singapore (USS) will be operational on Fridays through Sundays while the S.E.A. Aquarium will open only from Saturdays to Mondays. Dolphin Island and Adventure Cove Waterpark will be closed. Selected eateries, such as Feng Shui Inn, will remain open for takeaways.
Guests with existing reservations and SingapoRediscovers Vouchers bookings to USS and S.E.A. Aquarium for visits during the affected period will be allowed entry subject to capacity limits and changes to the operating days.
When contacted by TTG Asia, two of the authorised booking partners for SingapoRediscovers Vouchers, Klook and Trip.com, said focus is now on helping affected customers to reschedule their bookings. However, attraction tickets can neither be cancelled nor refunded as attractions are still open to visitors.
Showcased at Art Basel Hong Kong 2021 from May 21-23, the artworks come in the form of four ceramic plate designs that pay tribute to the distinct art-forms that are intrinsically Hong Kong, such as hand-carved mahjong tiles, hand-made stencils, neon signs and Cantonese opera.
Hotel Okura has contracted with Mitsubishi Estate to manage a 60-key hotel in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto.
Slated to open in January 2022, Hotel Okura Kyoto Okazaki Bettei will overlook Marutamachi Dori in the Rakuto and Okazaki areas of Kyoto. The property will offer guestrooms ranging from 40m² in size, including eight 80m² suite rooms themed after mountain villas.
It will be located near the historic Okazaki Betsuin Temple, overlooking the temple grounds, with the suites and some other rooms offering guests changing views of the seasonal scenery in its Japanese gardens. The hotel will also feature a restaurant, a lounge, bar, and fitness centre.