|
SINGAPORE: A decision on whether
the Formula One race in Singapore will take place at night or in
the day is expected by year's end, said Minister of State for
Trade and Industry S Iswaran, on the sidelines of a sports event
at Sentosa.
Mr Iswaran also addressed concerns raised about the 20 percent
levy imposed on non-trackside hotels during the race period.
He assured these hotels that they would also benefit when the
race hits town in September next year as there would be ample
demand for hotels across the island.
He said: "When we have an event like F1, you would expect about
a 100,000 visitors. Of that 100,000, maybe 30 or 40 percent will
be visitors who come in over a three- or four-day period.
"That in itself would create quite a significant increase in the
demand for hotel rooms in Singapore and it's not just the 5-star
hotels or those on the trackside that will benefit from that. It
will have a spillover effect across the island."
The minister added that trials are underway to check if it is
safe to have a night race.
A decision is expected by year's end as this will ensure there
will be ample time for preparations to market the race globally.
"Next year is quite interesting because there will be the
Beijing Olympics in August, our race in September, followed by
the ones in Japan and China. Not a bad timing for the overall
activity in the region – there will be a lot of tourist and
travel interest," said Mr Iswaran.
While the Singapore Tourism Board is looking into offering more
activities during the race to create more buzz, the private
sector here is also encouraged to capitalise on the race by
coming up with interesting business proposals.
|
