It may be that Singapore's ‘perfect society’ is pretty close to having the ‘perfect’ entertainment offering too
TWO of the world’s top casinos are up, running and making healthy profits, it has its Universal Studios theme park on Sentosa Island, there is a Legoland across the border in Johor, in neighbouring Malaysia, opened only at the end of last year; a Kidzania children’s attraction will open next year… And Singapore has around 40 family entertainment centres.
Understandably, with so much pressure on the public spend, those FECs are having to look long and hard at their offering if they want to compete with the heavyweights of the theme parks business. But Singapore is a country which does pretty well in terms of disposable income and a thirst for entertainment and the FEC owners are fairly confident that they can both survive and thrive in that environment.
The island of Singapore is a small but very significant crossroads between east and west, with a multi-national community dominated by the indigenous Malays and Chinese extract population. Its role as a major financial and trading centre has contributed strongly to its economy and a very strict and, some say, over-protective regime, has seen off any unsavoury elements. There is very little crime, scrupulously clean streets (no chewing gum is allowed) and if you so much as throw down a cigarette end, then duck.
The outcome is a somewhat sterile and clinical micro-world, in the views of some, but the majority seem very happy in the security offered by the ‘nanny state’ and there has been no visible harassment of the amusement industry personified by 40-plus locations, ranging from older-style arcades to up-market family entertainment centres.
Those which moved with the times, injected themselves into the retail-entertainment-leisure environments of the shopping plazas, have done pretty well. They might position themselves into a kind of ‘local destination resort’ role as opposed to the major day-out exercise which might be offered by the new or upcoming major attractions.
Read the full article in the May issue of InterGame.
