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SINGAPORE – Tourist attractions will be able to serve more visitors, after more than two months of being restricted to filling just 25 percent of operational capacity at any one time.
Starting Friday (September 18), they can apply to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to increase it to 50 percent.
They can also request permission to expand the capacity of their outdoor shows to 250 people, compared to the current 50. But the shows must be divided into five zones with a maximum of 50 people in each zone and a safe distance between groups and zones.
This means that the cap for your outdoor shows will be in line with the maximum number of participants that will soon be allowed at approved Mice events (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions).
The STB said Wednesday that the easing of the rules for attractions comes when operators have been effective in preventing and dispersing crowds, as well as maintaining high standards of cleanliness and hygiene.
All attractions have also introduced online reservation systems that help monitor and control the number of visitors, he said.
Gardens by the Bay is among the operators planning to increase their capacity to meet an expected increase in demand when the $ 100 SingapoRediscovers vouchers are issued to Singaporeans in December.
Local support has been encouraging to date, with more than 480,000 visits logged since July, said Jason Koo, its director of visitor services and attractions operations.
Crowds will continue to be managed through the use of timed-entry tickets that must be pre-purchased online, he said.
Gardens by the Bay will also bring back shows like the Mid-Autumn Festival lighting and the Flower Dome holiday floral display, albeit on a smaller scale.
Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), which operates the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Safari and Jurong Bird Park, also plans to increase capacity at its parks.
WRS Deputy Executive Director Cheng Wen-Haur said the number of visitors had decreased earlier in the year as fears of the coronavirus led some to avoid wildlife parks. But it has since recovered, with full capacity on some weekends.
The additional capacity allocation “will really help,” he added, as many prefer to visit in the morning, while the later spaces are less popular.
The larger audience size allowed at the parks’ popular outdoor shows is also a relief.
“Many visitors have been disappointed because they cannot see the show” due to the current limit of 50 people, he said.
Despite setbacks related to the pandemic, Jurong Bird Park is on track to move to the Mandai compound in 2022, with the opening of the new Rainforest Park and other attractions at the ecotourism center that will follow.
The new bird park will have larger aviaries, new species, more interactive experiences and non-contact points of contact, Dr. Cheng said.
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