There are 10 Halloween attractions and 11 unique experiences, including the first Saw-themed attraction in Asia, which brings to life Lionsgate’s blockbuster “Saw” films, one of the highest grossing horror franchises of all time.

“As the pioneer in bringing the Halloween festivity into a theme park environment, we began with only one haunted attraction in our first year. Today, it is the largest of its kind in Asia, and we are thrilled to partner with Lionsgate this year to create Asia’s first Saw-themed attraction, which resonates with our commitment to bringing the best Halloween experiences to the region,” said Lau Ming-wai, the Park’s deputy chairman.

The “Saw” attractions features the reverse bear trap, the twisted razor wire maze, and more fatal snares, all awaiting to evoke psychological terrors for guests. The Jigsaw Killer has laid out his infamous traps for guests to experience firsthand, including a preview from the long-awaited eighth instalment, “Jigsaw”, which is scheduled to open in theatres on October 26.

This year’s transforming attraction offers guests two unique Halloween experiences in Latin American style. In daytime, guests are invited to a jubilant party hosted at Festival of Souls presented by Yahoo! Hong Kong, where dead spirits dress up in colourful UV costumes and put on skull masks for their celebration. By donning a pair of 3D glasses, guests can check out the attraction’s festive decorations and stunning patterns in detail, including the Mexican village and church, while taking plenty of photos with the singing and dancing spirits. However, guests should be aware that the spirits will turn hellish as soon as the sun goes down at 5.30pm during the Night of the Dead. Enraged spirits will spring out of the haunted cemetery in search of live human flesh. Guests will also be trapped by illusion hallway, a mirror maze and even a sinister banquet.

Ocean Park Halloween Fest has prepared light-hearted Halloween surprises for family guests. At Whiskers Harbour’s Whiskers & Friends Halloween Party, the Park’s beloved mascots will show up in their brand-new Halloween costumes. Kids can also join a creative mask-making workshop to boost their Halloween look and take photos with all seven of the cute mascots at this fun-filled party. Elsewhere Spooky Candy Factory, the largest outdoor trick-or-treat trail in Hong Kong is returning again for guests to play mini games and win Chupa Chups, Mentos and Tim Tam chocolate biscuits. These two family-friendly attractions will be available daily from October 5 to 31.

The general public can experience the attractions and shows at Halloween Fest during the same period from 11am to 11pm.

“Peak Days” will be introduced for Halloween. Guests will need Halloween Fest tickets to enter haunted attractions and watch Hell’s Grand Finale on October 21, 22, 28 and 29. Tickets valid from October 5 to 31 and are available for sale on the Ocean Park website starting today and guests can enjoy a 5-per-cent discount for purchasing tickets online.

Find out more at http://www.OceanPark.com.hk.

“Regional Collaboration Towards a Better Future” is the theme for GTEF 2017, in support of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and embracing the “16+1” economic framework under which China partners with the 16 diverse and culturally rich Central and Eastern European countries.

GTEF’s featured partner countries include Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

These countries along with Guizhou province will offer delegates a fresh perspective on potential in the global tourism economy.

GTEF will engage prominent leaders in the public and private sectors in a dialogue on regional collaboration and sustainable tourism development.

It will once again offer both rewarding programmes and unrivalled business networking and matching opportunities to delegates from China and around the world, so that they can capitalise on the momentum of tourism development and growth.

Stay tuned for more information via http://www.GTE-Forum.com and http://www.Facebook.com/gteforum.

DRACULA ISN’T the first character that comes to mind when visiting Budapest, but old Vlad the Impaler – from the Translvania region of neighbouring Romania – is certainly there in spirit.

Muslim Turks conquered the Eastern Roman Empire, and both Constantinople and Budapest with it, in the 15th century. Vlad rose against them, his gory crusade sowing the seeds for the Dracula legend.

One of the many iconic images of national hero St Stephen, under whose reign a millennium ago Hungary became a Christian nation.

But while Constantinople (Istanbul) remained in the Turkish world, the Hungarians recaptured Budapest in 1686.

In “The Hungarians: A Thousand Years of Victory in Defeat”, Paul Lendvai calls the survival of a people with a language closer to Korean than German or any Romance language “a miracle of European history”.

The Danube River famously divides Budapest into Buda and Pest. Much of the broad vista can be enjoyed from the neo-gothic Fisherman’s Bastion, a warren of stonework arches, stairs and lattices named for the profession of the citizens who defended their homes against the invaders.

The bastion rests high on the hilltop crowning Buda, overlooking Pest. This close to a continental divide, it may seem that East is East and West is West. Hungarian history dramatically proves otherwise. “How did the ‘child-devouring cannibals’ and ‘bloodthirsty Huns’ became the defenders of the Christian West and heroic freedom fighters against the Mongols, Turks and Russians?” Lendvai asks.

The blurring of elements in the national psyche resonates in conversations with locals. A friendly key-maker fixing the guesthouse door might offer a tip on superb dining (beyond goulash) you’d otherwise miss in a nearby Serbian restaurant.

Nazi and communistera horror stories on a par with Dracula’s cruelties await contemplation in the House of Terror museum.

You never know who you’ll meet in Pest’s hip “ruin pubs” – watering holes in crumbling post-communist structures, where the parties brim with historical soul. Lendvai attributes “intensity” of existence in the city to an “exceptional loneliness”.

The two distinct sides of the Hungarian capital share mystery and beauty across the river. Somewhat airier, Buda boasts fascinating medieval lanes and hints of the majestic architectural legacy displayed in the palaces and gardens of Vienna, capital of the Hapsburg Dynasty, which dominated the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary that ruled the region from 1867 to 1918.

Austria’s governance of Hungary was relatively benign in comparison to that of the Turks, though the latter thankfully left behind their coffee and bathhouses. “All Hungarian historians agree that the 170 years of Ottoman rule represented the greatest catastrophe of Hungarian history,” says Lendvai.

Yet, in moments of tragedy, the seeds of greatness are sown. “Hungarians take their pleasures mournfully” is a well-known saying.

Most visitors explore the Labyrinth of Buda Castle, a dungeon capturing the classic moodiness of the Dracula legend. Myth and fact blur, of course. You read about Dracula’s first wife, from the Hungarian royal family, committing suicide while he was locked up here.

Hungary’s Parliament, the nation’s largest building, looms large when viewed from a vantage point near royal symbols of authority across the river on Buda District’s Castle Hill, where the “Raven King” reigned across the wide and sparkling Danube.

In these subterranean corridors, Vlad’s captor, King Matthias – often called “the greatest Hungarian” for his courage – would consult his prisoner, who had, after all, married his cousin. Across from Fisherman’s Bastion soars Matthias Church.

Lendvai acknowledges that Germans, Slavs and Romanians maintain to this day an alternative view of “what Hungarians hail as the heroic deeds of their victorious ancestors”. For the others, he says, it was “a tragedy”.

“The Magyars annihilated the supremacy of the German Empire” in the region. And Matthias was the central hero in question.

Matthias Church blends the imagery of Islamic and Orthodox Christian, Catholic and Protestant art. Its beautiful alcove is awash in the “joyful sadness” of Hungary.

A lone figure in white marble is dramatically positioned before a wall of stained glass, rose in hand. This is Austrian Empress Elisabeth, whose martyrdom and spirit of resistance moves Hungarians to this day.

“Everything had an uncanny fascination for Sisi [Elisabeth], and perhaps it was the only thing that really gripped her,” writes Lendvai.

Among the multitudes of foreigners who have been enchanted with Hungary is Jonathan Harker, the protagonist in Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula”. Before becoming caught up in Transylvanian temptations, he writes in his journal: “Buda-Pesth [a variant spelling] seems a wonderful place from the glimpse I got of it from the train and the little I could walk through the streets.”

Franz (Ferenc) Liszt, inspired by the wilder rhythms of the gypsies, is caught in a moment of artistic flourish in an urban oasis of cafes.

Across the Danube, the most prominent street in Pest honours both Hungarian patriotism and forbidden love. This is tree-lined Andrassy Ut, a boulevard named for Count Gyula Andrassy, the dashing rebel who attracted Elisabeth’s attention. She admired the Hungarians’ lack of restraint over the staid habits of her Germanic kin.

St Stephen’s Basilica personifies the dramatic essence of Hungary. The beautiful shrine honours the monarch who oversaw the country’s conversion to Christianity. It stands beyond the imposing Parliament, the nation’s largest building, significantly placed at the base of the Paris-inspired boulevard.

Through its elegant treetops blow the darker winds of history that Andrassy buffered, earning him Elisabeth’s affections. The aspirations of the Hungarian nation flow through venerable cafes, like the Muvesz Kavehaz, established in 1898.

Another imposing venue of a more civilised age, the Hungarian State Opera House boasts an exquisite lobby and regular line-up of top-end theatrical performances.

For a century, conversation and coffee have flowed in the cafe Muvesz Kavehaz, a Budapest institution on Andrassy Ut boulevard.

It’s a short walk from the House of Terror, where the epic abuses inflicted by German troops during World War II are movingly documented – along with those of Russian occupiers after 1956.

But there is an unmistakable sense of defiance and dignity in all of this, a spirit of survival. It is again expressed in the Great Synagogue, the world’s second-largest structure of its kind, wonderfully restored in recent years and offering messages of remembrance for victims of the Holocaust.

Just as Elisabeth was intrigued by Adrassy, Hungary’s favourite son was inspired by the unconstrained passion of the gypsies, descendants of the Roma people who migrated from India.

Visitors to Hungary these days are less likely to thunder in from Asiatic steppes. They fly in to Budapest Ferenc (Franz) Liszt International Airport. It’s named for a man widely regarded as the world’s most gifted pianist, though his attention was riveted not on classical Vienna but rather the energetic rhythms of the gypsies.

Gypsy music too has a certain joyful sadness. It flows with a sensibility that is neither Eastern nor Western, and it exactly captures the vibrancy of the people of Hungary.

>> Carleton Cole teaches world history and journalism at Mahidol University International Demonstration School.

Designed by San Francisco based Puccini Group, this 450-seat buffet restaurant boasts Art Deco detailing with an upscale French market and food hall vibe. It is divided into three zones to provide different dining experiences for guests.

A Parisian cafe ambience is all around the front dining area offering great views, while the main dining and buffet room features individually designed buffet stations and live cooking areas. One of the design features is an intricate five-metre overhead atrium, which brings a sense of natural light to the overall ambience of the restaurant.

“We are honoured and thrilled that Le Buffet at our newest resort The Parisian Macao has been recognised for this prestigious design award,” said Mark McWhinnie, senior vice president of Resort Operations and Development, Sands China Ltd.

“It was a pleasure to work with The Puccini Group to create a restaurant that can not only meet the exacting needs of a busy hotel but at the same time deliver an authentic French market atmosphere for our guests, diners and visitors.”

The HKRIDA recognise the exceptional achievements of restaurants, bars and cafes and their designers that go above and beyond in their quest to deliver an exciting dining experience for their guests. One of the primary goals of the awards is also to highlight and promote the importance a restaurant’s interior design has on overall business growth.

Find out more at http://www.ParisianMacao.com.

This month the company is stepping up its support for a series of initiatives that provide training for students at the Sala Bai Hotel School in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The charitable academy was established in 2002 to enable Cambodian teenagers, especially girls, to escape poverty and human trafficking fuelled by years of civil war and persecution.

Gavin M Faull, chairman and president of Swiss-Belhotel International, has been a supporter of the Sala Bai Hotel School since he helped establish Friends of Sala Bai Australia in 2005 in partnership with Blue Mountains Hotel School in Sydney.

The Friends host annual events where contributors meet to raise funds and share their passion for supporting underprivileged young Cambodians through relevant education and training.

Having developed a strong relationship with the school over the years, Swiss-Belhotel International has now made the academy its official industry charity.

All of the group’s employees will be involved in a programme to raise funds for the school, a scholarship programme will launch this year, and senior staff will dedicate their time to provide valuable training for Sal Bai students.

“As the hotel and hospitality industry expands in Cambodia, so do the number of job opportunities for local people,” says Faull. “Sala Bai Hotel School provides an essential bridge to connect underprivileged youngsters with job-focused education and training so that they can transform their lives.

“By sponsoring students and providing active, long-term support for the school, we believe Swiss-Belhotel International can make a real difference and help build a brighter future for these talented young people.”

Sala Bai Hotel School trains more than 100 students a year in a course that covers restaurant management, food and beverage preparation, front-office duties, housekeeping and beauty therapy.

The courses are free and the school has so far trained more than 1,300 students. The final month of the 12-month programme is dedicated to a job search, and this has resulted in a 100-per-cent success rate to date.

To involve guests in the initiative, Swiss-Belhotel International is launching a worldwide “Adopt a Bernie” campaign, beginning at all the group’s hotels in Australia and New Zealand.

Bernie is the brand’s mascot, a cuddly version of the St Bernard rescue dog of Switzerland. The soft-toy is sold at Swiss-Belhotel outlets as a souvenir of the stay.

In Australia and New Zealand, all Swiss-Belhotel International properties will have a basket of Bernies at the reception desk, along with a sign explaining the “Adopt a Bernie” initiative, highlighting the role of Sala Bai Hotel School. For every Bernie purchased, a share will be donated to the campaign.

“Adopt a Bernie will do more than simply provide money,” Faull says. “Senior staff will be sent to help with hands-on training in Cambodia, and graduates from the school will be given the chance to work with us. We are starting the scholarship programme this year by selecting a student from Sala Bai to be employed at Swiss-Belresort Coronet Peak in New Zealand.”

Learn more at http://www.SalaBai.com.

“The European market is substantial in size and potential and is growing on a continual basis. Data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand in 2016 shows that approximately six million tourists travelled from Europe to Thailand, an increase of 6.8 per cent from 2015. Tourists from Eastern Europe, including those from Austria in Central Europe, ranked fifth amongst European tourist arrivals in Thailand,” says Viroj Sirihorachai.

“The Thai Airways direct flight connection from Bangkok will provide further strong impetus to Vienna and marks another step towards realising our 2020 tourism strategy, which will see Vienna firmly positioned as a European gateway city in business, science and tourism,” added Norbert Kettner of the Vienna Tourist Board.

Currently, THAI flies to 12 destinations in 10 countries in Europe: Copenhagen, Oslo, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Stockholm, London, Rome, Milan, and Moscow, which equates to more than 80 flights per week.

Approximately 3.4 million European tourists travelled to Thailand in the first half of 2017. an increase of 7 per cent compared to the same period last year, with Eastern European and Austrians tourists making up the fifth largest group.

Offering flights to Vienna, the capital of Austria and the aviation centre for Central Europe, enables the company to serve passengers in neighbouring Eastern European countries within a 300-kilometre radius. The countries include Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, and Slovenia, with a combined population of approximately 32 million people.

Austria ranked eighth out of 10 countries in the European Union in real GDP per capita in 2015 and 2016. However, air traffic right restrictions for flights between Austria and Thailand resulted in a slight reduction in the growth rate for Austrian tourist arrivals into Thailand, which continued to decrease in 2014-2016.

In the first half of 2017, Austrian tourist arrivals to Thailand increased. By operating flights into Austria, THAI will effectively play a part in boosting tourist arrivals to Thailand.

Vienna is renown for its revered residents, such as Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. As the city of music, Vienna is famous for its classical composers as well as Imperial Palaces that include Schonbrunn Palace and the Museumsquartier baroque district. Visitors can also enjoy the pleasure of Viennese cuisine, the various meats and strudels as well as the world famous Sachertorte that has its origins in Vienna.

THAI will operate roundtrip flights from Bangkok-Vienna, utilising Boeing 777-300ER with 348 in Royal Silk Class and Economy Classes. Four roundtrip flights per week will be operated on Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

For further information, reservations, and ticketing assistance, visit ThaiAirways.com.

This holiday, the number of passengers carried by Vietjet increased by 27 per cent against the same period last year, with an on-time performance of 88.3 per cent. Vietjet added supplementary staff in its Technical department, and Flight Operation and Ground Operation departments to ensure passengers continue to enjoy the best low-cost flight services.

Besides ensuring high levels of safety and security, the company offered passengers many activities such as on-board welcoming by Vietjet’s flight attendants in costumes featuring the Vietnamese national flag. The airline also hosted “the Great Circle of Vietnam”, a special flight on which nearly 200 passengers sang together as part of an Acapella choir. In addition, passengers celebrated National Day with great gifts and a lucky draw for free domestic flight tickets and other gifts.

Vietjet’s leaders and pilots joined a delegation led by the Vietnamese Communist Party and Government to visit Bac Son Monument in Hanoi, where they laid wreaths and showed their respect to Vietnamese heroes and martyrs on the 72nd Anniversary of the August Revolution and Vietnamese National Day.

With its high-quality services, special low-fare tickets and diverse ticket classes, Vietjet offers its passengers enjoyable flights with a dynamic and friendly flight crew, comfy seats, delicious hot meals, quality souvenirs at the Sky Shop and other surprises served by the airline’s friendly and professional flight attendants.

Currently, the airline boasts a fleet of 45 aircraft, including A320s and A321s, and operates 350 flights each day. It has already opened 73 routes in Vietnam and across the region to international destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, China and Myanmar. It has carried nearly 40 million passengers to date.

Vietjet Thailand currently operates three new and modern A320 aircraft, one of which is emblazoned with Thailand’s dynamic tourism symbol “Amazing Thailand”. The carrier’s flight network includes three domestic routes, Bangkok-Phuket, Bangkok-Chiang Mai and Phuket-Chiang Rai, and three international routes from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Hai Phong.

Looking ahead, Vietjet plans to expand its network across the Asia Pacific region. To prepare for this plan, Vietjet has signed agreements with the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers to purchase more brand-new and modern aircraft.

Find out more at Facebook.com/VietjetThailand.

Created to help keep the area out of the hands of loggers, poachers and mining operators, this safari-style camp provides nine furnished and comfortable boutique tents with a private bathroom. Each package includes an introductory presentation on the magnificent 18,000-hectare National Park followed by guided hikes led by Wildlife Alliance rangers.

Guests can follow abandoned poaching and logging trails through dense forest home to see macaques, gibbons and hornbills, while hikers can inspect confiscated snares, traps and improvised hunting rifles at a ranger station.

There is also an option of kayaking back to the tented camp on the Preak Tachan River. Other benefits include breakfast, lunch and dinner in the camp’s riverside restaurant and during the day guests can simply lounge by the floating pier at the camp with binoculars spotting some of the hundreds of bird species in the park.

Guests have the option of joining a second ranger patrol on a different route during their stay. Asian elephants, dhole, clouded leopards, hog badgers, sun bears, mouse deer and pangolin all rely on the mature forest habitat around the camp.

“The Cardamom Tented Camp helps keep the forest standing. We can’t take the forest’s survival for granted. Each visitor helps us show the world that well managed ecotourism is a viable alternative to logging and hunting,” says Willem Niemeijer, chief executive officer of Yaana Ventures.

At the eco-camp, which is a three way initiative between the Minor International, Yaana Ventures and Wildlife Alliance, a percentage of the revenue goes directly to Wildlife Alliance. Wildlife Alliance is supported by the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, an initiative of the Minor Group. Any tented camp profits will be reinvested locally.

The two new packages can start at the Wildlife Alliance lodge and pier in Trapeang Rung at set times or include transfers in an air-conditioned vehicle from Phnom Penh or Trat airport in Thailand. From Trapeang Rung it is a one-hour river trip to the Cardamom Tented Camp.

The packages are priced at US$198 (Bt6,555) per person for three-day/ two-night stay on a twin/double sharing basis (single room surcharge $65) and US$289 for four-day /three night stay (single room surcharge $95).

The packages including pre-arranged transfers from Trat or Phnom Penh, are $389 and $479 respectively. Guests will get discounts for transfer pickup or drop off at Sihanoukville. Helicopter transfers from either Siem Reap or Phnom Penh can be arranged by the Cardamom Tented Camp.

Book a tent at sales@cardamomtentedcamp.com or browse CardamomTentedCamp.com.

SINGAPORE’S TOURISM Board and Economic Development Board are now promoting the island-state with the slogan “Passion Made Possible”. It replaces the “Your Singapore” pitch in use since 2010 and is aimed at businesses as well as tourists.

Designed to depict Singapore as “an inspirational place where everything is driven by passion”, the global campaign includes activities that highlight its cultural diversity.

It has something for everyone, the organisers say, whether you’re a gourmand, collector, explorer, action seeker, “culture shaper” or just love socialising.

Merlion Park and Jubilee Bridge at night 

“The Passion Made Possible campaign will help us tell an inside-out-style Singapore story beyond just tourism,” says Tourism Board chief executive Lionel Yeo.

The new slogan is “enlightened by our heritage” and aimed at building “a deeper and more personal connection between Singapore and our fans”, he says. Travellers these days are seeking “more aspirational value propositions”.

“They want to eat the same food and do the same things as the residents, rather than simply visiting places built for tourists.”

Singapore’s popular Wild Rocket restaurant serves a selection of modern Singapore dishes such as Spanner Crab & Daun Kesom Ravioli in Laksa broth.

One stop being promoted is Wild Rocket, a restaurant added to the “Asian 50 Best” list in 2015. Chef Willin Low founded the place a decade before that, offering modern Singapore cuisine inspired those of other countries but with authentic local flavours.

“I taught myself to cook while studying in England,” says Low. “When I returned home I worked as an attorney before opening my own restaurant. I’ve travelled to many countries and adapted their recipes to my modern Singapore dishes.”

All delightful are Pomelo Salad with Tiger Prawn and Frozen Coconut Dressing, Spanner Crab and Daun Kesom Ravioli served in Laksa broth, and Iberico Pork Char Siew with Shanghai Kao Cai and Quonao.

Low’s recommended dessert is Wild Rocket Chendol, glass jelly in the form of panna cotta with coconut-milk mousse and red beans.

Michelin-star restaurant Alma 

We continue to the Michelin-star restaurant Alma by Juan Amador, home to the wonderful culinary flair of chef Haikal Johari, who previously cooked at the Water Library in Bangkok.

He remains an executive chef for the Water Library Hospitality Group, which has eateries in Chamchuri and Thonglor.

Johari is in command of the kitchen at Alma despite being partially paralysed a motorbike accident in 2015. Confined to a wheelchair, he’s nevertheless adept at creating such scrumptious delicacies as Crispy Tofu with black garlic, wild mushroom and foie gras emulsion.

 Anjou Pigeon 

His Anjou Pigeon includes a leg confit, the breast grilled and smoked with jasmine tea, and the meat dried and then reconstituted in gravy.

Singaporeans and foreigners equally love 48-year-old Song Fa Bak Kut The, a restaurant in a colonial-style building with terrific traditional Chinese food. The top-sellers include Bak Kut The, made from Brazilian pork ribs in herbal pork broth, braised pork leg and stewed pork belly.

Sung Fa restaurant is famous for its delectable Bak Kut Teh and braised leg pork, served with deep-fried doughstick. 

Next to renowned Lau Pa Sat with its dozens of food hawkers, Boon Tat Street is home to many satay vendors offering skewed and grilled chicken, lamb, beef and shrimp infused with spices and served with cucumber and shallots. Nice fried rice, fried noodles and grilled stingray are also available.

Satay is a favourite at Boon Tat Street with beef, shrimp, chicken and lamb on the skewers.

We’re stuffed, so time for some sightseeing. At Changi Point Ferry Terminal we board a boat for a 15-minute hop to Pulau Ubin Island, where Malayan and Chinese residents are happy to demonstrate that the slow life is the best life.

The island, all granite, rubber trees and fruit plantations – durian, mango and coconut – is a great place to ride a bike. The 100-hectare Chek Jawa wetland is home to loads of wildlife. You might well see a hornbill, a chevrotain (mouse deer) or wild boar, and you’ll certainly see horseshoe crabs and starfish.

“The people on the island are mostly elders, over 80,” says naturalist Subaraj Rajathurai, who’s worked as a guide there for 35 years and helped lead opposition to a proposed resort development.

“The growing population is making land in Singapore more expensive, so we have to put in a lot of effort to keep the island the way it is.

“In 2001 the government planned to develop a resort here, but most Singaporeans objected. The project collapsed, so today you still see the island in its natural state.

Although constantly under threat from developers, Pulau Ubin Island for now remains a natural treasure. 

“One way to keep it that way is to educate people about the importance of conservation. We also have to engage with the government in planning conservation. The government issues development plans 25 years in advance, so we have to ensure that nothing will change in the future.”

Rajathurai says there are always surprises for visitors to the island, so it fits in well with the promotional campaign, with its appeal to tourists seeking out new experiences.

Another amazing outing is iFly Singapore, a wind tunnel that recreates the experience of parachuting from a plane.

iFly Singapore recreates the experience of parachuting from a plane. 

The world’s first and largest “theme wind tunnel” – five metres wide and 17 metres tall, equivalent to a five-storey building – it will make you believe you’re free-falling from 13,000 feet up. The whole thing is wrapped in acrylic glass, so you’re meanwhile getting unparalleled views of the South China Sea (assuming you keep your eyes open).

“This was actually designed for training skydivers, but we turned it into an extreme leisure activity to draw tourists to Sentosa,” says managing director Lawrence Koh Yi Le.

“We’ve had 250,000 visitors trying it out since we opened, of whom 70 per cent were children or teenagers ages seven to 16.”

iFly Singapore recreates the experience of parachuting from a plane. 

First you get a quick lesson in the sign language used during a typical plummet, since you won’t be able to heard shouted instructions. There’s nothing to be alarmed about, though, since the state-of-the-art technology ensures a high degree of safety.

Speed of descent can be accurately controlled, giving plungers ample opportunity to try out various movements, including manoeuvring into four- and eight-person formations.

Rolling around on two-wheeled Segways is a great way to admire the city at night. 

By evening we’ve parachuted into Marina Bay and find ourselves rolling around on two-wheeled Segways to admire the city by night along an interesting five-kilometre route. You get to see the GoGreen e-Mobility Lifestyle Hub, zoom across the Jubilee Bridge and say hello to the famous Merlion before coasting to a stop at the Marina Bay Sands resort.

The 1-Altitude Gallery & Bar on the rooftop of the One Raffle Place boasts a panoramic view of the city. 

Up in the 1-Altitude Gallery & Bar at One Raffle Place, Singapore’s highest rooftop bar (another lofty 282 metres above the sea) offers the best vantage point for enjoying sunsets and night lights, all to the sound of local bands and DJs.

The writer travelled courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board. 

PASSENGERS’ BAGGAGE is collected by robots, they relax in a luxurious waiting area complete with an indoor garden before getting a face scan and swiftly passing through security and immigration – this could be the airport of the future.

It’s a vision that planners hope will become reality as new technology is rolled out, transforming the exhausting experience of getting stuck in lengthy queues in ageing, overcrowded terminals into something far more pleasant.

The Asia-Pacific has been leading the way but faces fierce competition from the Middle East as major hubs compete to attract the growing number of long-haul travellers who can choose how to route their journey.

An airport worker walks through the passport scanning gantry at the newly built Changi airport terminal 4 in Singapore. /AFP

The regions “are the two leading pockets of technology growth because they are really competing to be the global hubs for air transportation,” says Seth Young, director of the Centre for Aviation Studies at Ohio State University.

“If I’m going to fly from New York to Bangalore, do I transfer through Abu Dhabi or Dubai or do I transfer through Hong Kong? That’s a huge, huge market.”

But the changes also represent major challenges that could upend decades-old business models at major airports, with analysts warning operators may face a hit to their revenues to the tune of billions of dollars.

Facial scanning in particular is generating a lot of buzz. Changi in the affluent city-state of Singapore, regarded as among the world’s best airports, is set to roll out this biometric technology at a new terminal to open later this year.

Passengers will have their faces scanned when they first check in and at subsequent stages, theoretically allowing them to go through the whole boarding process quickly without encountering another human.

Automated check-in machines at the Changi airport./AFP

Australia announced in July an investment of Aus$22.5 million (Bt590 million) to introduce face recognition technology at all the country’s international airports, while Dubai Airport is also testing it.

Robots are appearing at some major hubs, including at Seoul’s Incheon airport, where they carry out tasks including cleaning and carrying luggage, while Changi’s new terminal will have robotic cleaners complete with butlers’ uniforms.

Self-service check-in and printing of boarding passes is already common, with many people printing their passes at home or at airport kiosks, and some hubs are now introducing self-service baggage drop points.

The service, which allows passengers to print and tag their baggage and then send it off on the conveyor belt, is available at airports including Australian hubs, Hong Kong, London Heathrow and Amsterdam’s Schiphol.

The self-baggage check-in machine is demonstrated to journalists during a media tour./AFP

Airports are also trying to overhaul their image as dreary places that must be endured in order to get from A to B, to somewhere travellers can enjoy spending time.

Changi is building a new terminal complex called Jewel, a 10-storey development filled with shops and restaurants whose centrepiece will be a 40-metre indoor waterfall surrounded by an indoor garden.

The complex will make the airport look more like a shopping mall than a traditional hub, and is aimed at cashing in on transiting passengers.

“They are looking at retail, non-aeronautical profits,” said Shukor Yusof, an aviation analyst from Endau Analytics.

But while hubs in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East surge ahead, airports in the United States and Europe are being left behind.

“Europe and the US were the leading aviation markets for the last 75 to 100 years, and it’s very difficult to revolutionise your infrastructure when you are on a foundation that is 75 years old,” says Young of the Centre for Aviation Studies.

He adds that it is also a matter of “political will”, as emerging economies see building cutting-edge airports as a way of raising their status globally.

Some US and European airports are nevertheless trying to up their game.

New York’s ageing airports have long been criticised as old-fashioned, cramped and dirty but JFK, the main international hub serving the city, hopes to shed its dire reputation with a proposed $10 billion redevelopment.

Journalists watch an automatic robot vacuum cleaning the floor./AFP

Amsterdam’s Schiphol is aiming to become the world’s leading digital airport by 2019, and has been testing hand luggage scanners that allow passengers to keep liquids and laptops in their bags. It is also looking at biometric technology.

Despite the buzz surrounding new technology, there are concerns that rapid innovation could threaten long-held ways of doing business.

A report from consultancy Roland Berger warned that airport revenues from retail and parking could fall by between two and four billion dollars due to the new innovations.

Automated, more predictable check-in procedures threaten retail outlets as passengers are likely to reduce the “buffer” they build in to trips to the airport, meaning less shopping time, while developments such as ride-hailing apps could undercut parking revenues, it said.

Still, the landscape may not transform so quickly as many airports face difficulties in introducing new technology, from resistance to change to availability of financing, says Xavier Aymonod, a transport expert at Roland Berger and lead author of the report.

“It’s really challenging for airports to launch this digital transformation,” he says.