Singapore is a nearly inevitable stop for anyone doing business in Southeast Asia. Executive travellers come to this tiny city-state from across the globe, attracted by opportunities in its biggest industries, including shipping, banking, trading, oil and gas, and increasingly, tourism.
Over the last few years, Singapore has successfully shed its image as “Singabore” – a bland stopover city – by adding two gigantic and hugely popular “integrated resorts Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa. These two casino resorts contribute nearly 1.5% of Singapore’s gross domestic product, and along with casinos come luxury hotels, new dining and entertainment options.
In the city, there are at least six new hotels slated to open in 2013, including the 301-room Westin Singapore and the 134-room Sofitel So. Passenger arrivals at Singapore’s Changi Airport hit a record 51.2 million in 2012, up 10% from 2011. Changi is home base for Singapore Airlines – known for its attentive service and well-appointed cabins – which hauls in visitors in droves. Singapore Airlines carried 18 million passengers in 2012, up from 16.9 million in 2011. With a nod to the budget-focused business traveler, in 2012 Singapore Airlines launched Scoot, a low-fare subsidiary focused on routes between Asian and Australian cities.
The island of Singapore is small – just 697,25 km² – and sits at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, the southernmost point of continental Asia. Singapore’s commercial centre, known as the Central Business District (CBD), is located on the southern side of the island, but the 2010 addition of the enormous Marina Bay Sands complex, has meant that the city centre has shifted east, with Marina Bay acting as its focus
