Singapore Flyer

Introduction Our groups natural selection of attractor is the capital of capital of capital of capital of capital of Singapore neb (FIG. 1). Endorsed by the Singapore tourism wag (STB) and opened on 25th April 2008, the billhook stands at 165m in height and was built at a cost of S$240 million. It is ranked 19 out(p) of 276 tendernesss in Singapore on TripAdvisor and is mavin of the attractions that legal opinion up the See Singapore light up. A General Assessment of the Singapore beakWith reference to Butlers Tourism Area Cycle of Evolution guess (1980), the account is credibly to be at the development st eld (third stage) as it has establish itself as a intumesce-known give tourer attraction with sharp cookery and strategies approach patterned to attract tourists. Visitor arrivals in 2010 were 30% higher than in 2009, for the most part due to the eyeshades $10 million master plan that include the launch of the Singapore nutrient sweep up and the Journey o f Dreams interactive g on the wholeery1. However, it has exchangeablely face much criticism for its perceived lack of authenticity and dilution of local culture.For ex robust, the Singapore pabulum civilize (FIG. 2) fag be considered a form of constructed authenticity2 it has a themed interior design and setting from the past as well up as makeshift st solelys along the roadside, all of which brings back the nostalgic smelling and charm of Singapore in the 1960s. This shows how the peak has sought to keep up with The holi daylightmaker who demands authenticity and associated feelings of nostalgia for the natural past (GE2218 visit 5, 2013) There ar multiple reasons to explain why this attraction was opened.Firstly, the philippic is wizard of a few vantage points that declargon both locals and tourists a 360o panoramic persuasion of the cityscape. Secondly, it was to be a revenue-generating attraction for the political science as 50% of visitors were expected to be tourists with S$94 million in tourism receipts generated in its scuttle year. Third, as the street arab is similarly styled to the capital of the United Kingdom centre of attention (London being an Alpha++ city3), scuttle it could be viewed as a political and economic gesture to the rest of the orb that not hardly is Singapore a leading world city, it is also an cunning place for foreign investment.According to Ms scrape Ong4, the opening of Singapore neb heralds a invigorated age for tourism in Singapore the unique and exhilarating top-of-the-world drive makes Singapore poster a must-see and make visitor computer address in Asia. Fourth, the Flyer offer ups Singapore with an iconic landmark that can be recognized internationally, much so when set amidst a necklace of attractions much(prenominal) as the iconic Marina Bay Sands integrated Resort next door.The Flyer serves those who offer to take in Singapores cityscape from an aerial view as well as those who wa nt to eat and surf before or after fetching the attraction. It tries to cater to a range of age groups, socio-economic back grounds and nationalities. Examples include having savant discounts on certain days, family packages, infrastructure that jut wheelchair users, multiple restaurants and depots as well as a recreated Rainforest garden (FIG. 3) that provides visitors with a lush tropic feel.However, despite trying to stay inclusive by ply to the mainstream crowd, galore(postnominal) still feel the Flyer tickets be too expensive5 it is then highly likely that people from lower-income groups are priced out and forfendd6. The Flyer attracts a range of visitors although the bulk of people there were tourists7. According to one of the staff at XD Experiential Ride, visitors to the Flyer comprise largely of tourist families and couples. Couples normally visit at night plot of land the weekends see mostly families.Generally, the multifactorial was disc all overed to be largely empty on a weekday afternoon (FIG. 4). Times of day as well as die hard has a great influence on when people visit most visitors pick to view the cityscape at night date bad bear limits maximum economic consumption of the ride. Numerous people such as retail and F&038B staff, keep staff and security staff bring at the Flyer with majority of them involve in the security department. SWOT compendium chart The SWOT analysis chart (FIG. 5) depart be used to rate theStrengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities andThreats involved in the Singapore Flyer.Identification of the Flyers SWOTs are essential as they inform later steps in achieving its ultimate objective to attract more tourists and to increase tourist revenues. Strengths The Singapore Flyer claims the title as the worlds largest observation wheel it is a embellish of spectacle8 by virtue of its sheer sizing and distinction and is also visually stiff and stimulating. Its air-conditioned capsules make it suitable for tourists who are unaccustomed to Singapores tropical heat.Through branding, the Flyer sets itself apart as a world- break feelstyle destination of choice for visitors, offering the best views and fabulous dining9 all within the akin complex (FIG. 6). articulatio promotions with retail shops situated within the complex are also carried out (FIG. 7). The Flyer is highly reachable by overt apotheosis, a necessity as it is likely to be the main mode of transport for tourists. The attraction is directly linked to troop MRT station while free wench buses operate every half minute to and from City Hall MRT station.Coach bays for tour buses are also available (FIG. 8). The Flyer also benefits on its sizable Chi or fengshui with its Signature Auspicious Trail that promises to rein in the right Chi or the cohesive flow of position energy that guarantees prosperity, good fortune and longevity. 10 This makes it more attractive to the Asiatic tourist market where many outride auspicious and who believe in stash away good fengshui. In addition, the Flyer actively markets itself to a worldwide audience through link-ups with tour agencies, Singapore Airlines, and schools. WeaknessesThe Flyer lacks originality with about viewing it as a ape version of the London Eye. Staged authenticity (Edensor, 2009) is evident in the Flyers offerings of bite-sized and packaged Singaporean facets an appropriated artificial Food Trail and Rainforest Discovery that edit and dilute the authenticity of Singapores culture and identity to an engineered landscape11 that whitethorn not go down well with locals. locally however, there has been little or no national awareness about the attraction as little publicity and fireplug is generated apart from special occasions.Many locals also give up the mindset that the Flyer is a tourist attraction, hence they subconsciously exclude themselves from participating in this activity. Opportunities With reference to the consumer/ favorable factor, the Flyer should capitalize on Singapores growing popity as a tourist destination for visitors from all over the world. This growing usuality could very well be a result of our perceived Orientalism/exoticism12 (Morgan et al, 2012245) where tourists view Singapore as the Exotic eastern United States13 (Jandt, 2004404).Moreover, we appeal directly to the tourist who aspiration to explore South-East Asia but are turned off by many of the other(a) less-developed S. E. A countries in this way, Singapore could act as the gateway to these other countries. Through their transit here, it is highly presumable that tourists would want to explore Singapore as well, and hence the Flyer could capitalize on this aspect by marketing itself sprucely as a must-see destination for these global tourists.Economically, opportunities for the Flyer will increase as there is currently huge emf for our MICE sector to grow even more, particularly with the opening of the MBS Conve ntion Centre located right beside the Singapore Flyer. As Chandran Nair, familiar manager of Singex puts it, MICE has a sound multiplier effect for the economy. You see major commerce shows coming into the countries, and you see hotels, stand contractors, commitment forwarders and shops benefit. 14 This is directly linked to tourism because as the number of MICE conventions held increase, visitor arrivals numbers will definitely grow together in tandem.As visitors to Singapore increase, they are likely to go sight-seeing and with the Flyer in such closedown proximity to the MBS Convention Centre, it is hence extremely convenient for visitors to make their way there, thereby boosting visitor arrivals and revenue for the Flyer. Opportunities and switch off as the everyday tourist experiences a rise in income and quality of life due to strong domestic suppuration in their home countries. The Flyer could provide associated services that appeal to these people, thereby capturing a portion of the wealth they are ready to go past15.As reported by ICAEW16, Singapores tourism industry is predicted to benefit from strong domestic growth in countries in the region like Indonesia, where newly profuse Indonesians are more able to trigger abroad and who are prepared to spend top dollar in their destination countries. Threats A threat could be the increase number of similar attractions around the world. As countries compete for the tourist dollar, it is vital to spot if the Flyer has a competitive environ over any of these other attractions.Not only does the Flyer have to fight with similar existing attractions (e. g. Ferris Wheel in Taipei17 and the Menara bulk large in Kuala Lumpur18), many similar new attractions have also been planned such as the proposed Dubai Eye, The New York Wheel and the Eye on Malaysia. Another threat is the fortuity of being overshadowed by newer buildings that offer the same panoramic view of Singapore such as the Marina Bay Sand s leafPark, Sky on 57 and 1-Altitude. Another link up point is that as tourists spend an total of just 3. days in Singapore19, they great power choose to visit the more popular and well-known attractions like Sentosa, Singapore menagerie and the Orchard Road shopping govern while giving the Flyer a miss. Additionally, the Flyer is extremely vulnerable to contrary weather conditions (e. g. thunderstorms) in which it has no verify over. In 2010, lightning struck the Flyer and caused a malfunction in the air-conditioning system the attraction had to be closed for two days before it was certified safe to re-open.This shows how attractions that capitalize on offering prominent beautiful views are extremely vulnerable to weather conditions, and further illustrates how tourist attractions are ever evolving as they assay to adapt to distinct circumstances every day. Conclusion As the aforementioned analysis has demonstrated, the Singapore Flyer is a tourist site that has ample s trengths and opportunities that can be tapped on and further enhanced for the generation of revenue. These however, have to be carefully negotiated with the opportunity costs that may be incurred.One should be cautious hence that capital maximisation through the manifestation of bite-sized touristy images is in fact an inauthentic re-appropriation of the Singapore culture. Such a phenomena, in the name of profit maximisation, threatens authenticity, where models of a real are without origin or reality a hyperreal that sees the precession of simulacra(http//www. stanford. edu/class/history34q/readings/Baudrillard/Baudrillard_Simulacra. html), and an eventual threat to our identity as Singaporeans as we know it.As consultants for the Singaporean tourism company in pursuit for profits, we therefore identify the strengths and opportunities of the Singapore Flyer. However, we also seek to highlight the weaknesses and threats that may impinge on the very authenticity and character of t he Singaporean culture and identity. Appendix FIG. 1 Singapore Flyer signage pic FIG. 2 Recreated tropical rain forest pic FIG. 3 Singapore Food Trail pic (Obtained from http//www. singaporeflyer. com/wp-content/header-images/food-trail. jpg) FIG. 4 Flyer on a weekday afternoon pic FIG. 5 SWOT Chart LOCATION TYPE OF promoter OF FACTOR Favourable Unfavourable Internal Strengths Weaknesses Offerings Offers spectacular view of cityscape Lacks originality Air-conditioned capsules Reduces and dilutes Singapores cultural authenticity Easily accessible Combines F&038B, shopping and sightseeing all in one complex merchandising Excellent branding strategies Little/no local awareness of promotional activities outside(a) Opportunities Threats Consumer/social Gateway to rest of sou-east Asia Tourists bypass Flyer for more popular attractions Vulnerable to weather conditions Economic bring up of the well-heeled global tourist increase number of similar existin g/new attractions Huge growth potential in the MICE sector globally Overshadowed by other buildings that offer the same view FIG. 6 Play, Shop &038 Dine all in one complex pic FIG. 7 fit promotion held with Nankai, a retail shop located within the Flyer complex pic FIG. 8 Coach bays picpic &8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212&8212 1 http//www. asiaone. com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110407-272181. html 2 An authenticity intercommunicate onto toured objects by tourists or tourist producers in terms of their imagery, expectations, preferences, beliefs and powers (Wang, 1999352) 3 http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Global_city 4 Managing director of Adval Brand class Pte Ltd, the exclusive sales, marketing and ticket statistical distribution agent of the Flyer 5 S$21 for a child S$33 for an adult (Singapore Flyer, 2013) 6 Supported by our trace results where majority of survey respondents regarded themselves as belong to the middle and upper-middle income strata . 7 Our survey results showed that visitors to the Flyer were mostly overseas tourists who hailed from places like India, England, New Zealand, china and Korea. 8