A nature resort in Singapore – Does it make sense?
The Singapore newspapers announced a $70 million plan by Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to build “a nature retreat in Mandai, away from the hustle and bustle of the city”.
It will be 30-hectare big, about the size of 42 football fields.
Upon closer reading of the report on ChannelNewsAsia, I realised that the $70 million is the total budget, which also includes rejuvenation of the Night Safari and Mandai Zoo.
So the amount towards the new nature retreat will actually be less than that.
The two key highlights are
i) “a luxurious topical (sic) spa retreat,”, and
ii) “an exotic river-themed development, where visitors can learn about freshwater habitat.”
Nothing new then.
Do we really need another spa in Singapore? And I don’t even realise there’re any rivers in Mandai.
I was also most amused by this statement: “The government believes that if done well, visitors to Mandai can forget that they are actually only minutes away from the city centre.”
Firstly, in Singapore, there are high-rise concrete buildings no matter where you turn.
Secondly, Mandai isn’t exactly near the city centre.
I’m hoping that the government will rethink their plans, and simply preserve whatever little nature we have left.
Sources: Today Online, Straits Times (subscription required)
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Anonymous said,
November 22, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Hi, chanced upon this site while searching info about the new Mandai cluster.
Some corrections:
The $70m budget is solely for the Zoo and Night Safari for redevelopment purposes and expansion.
The proposed spa/hotel/retreat will be run by a private investor, and STB will be opening tender next year. No budget for that has been set, but land area of 30-hectares has been gazetted.
The “freshwater-themed attraction” will be developed by Wildlife Reserves Singapore, parent company of Zoo, Night Safari and BirdPark if feasibility studies are positive. It will be a 10-hectare “3rd Zoo” to compliment the Zoo/Night Safari cluster.
The 30ha land parcel chosen has been badly ravaged by military training and has very little conservation value, consisting mostly of scrub forests. The proposal calls for rehabilitation/restoration of the forest, with the resulting structures being low impact/density.
Cheers
Hun Boon said,
November 23, 2007 at 9:53 am
Hi Anonymous,
Thanks for the comment. If your info is accurate, then ST has run a misleading piece.
It would be much better if you could quote the source of your info.
I would support a project of education and conservation value. The Mandai forests might not be in the best shape now, but I’ve no doubt that if properly cared for, they would be rejuvenated very quickly.
My concern for the fresh-water development is that if not done properly, it would destroy the natural beauty of the place.
As for the spa resort, it is merely a money-spinner. I fail to see any social benefit in it.
Anonymous said,
November 24, 2007 at 4:45 am
Hi,
A clearer source of info would be the minister’s speech transcript. You can access it here: http://app.mti.gov.sg/default.asp?id=148&articleID=11661
Additional info is from personal communications with the members of the parties involved.
The freshwater development would be technically a zoo, with man-made exhibits featuring non-native wildlife. It would be built on land that has long been gazetted to the zoo. It is being considered as an expansion plan for the zoo’s remaining undeveloped land. Total land area given to the zoo in the 1960s was 90 hectares. Currently, only 28ha (Zoo), 40ha (Night Safari) and approx 3-5ha (Support facilities) have been developed.
By mid next year, boats operated by the zoo will begin to ply the Upper Seletar Reservoir, offering rides to visitors. This is supposedly the first phase or a trial for the freshwater development which isn’t confirmed yet and may not be built eventually.
You are right to say that the spa resort is a pure money spinner. It will be completely profit-driven and run by investors.
Ultimately any tourism development in S’pore has the utilitarian aim of increasing tourism receipts. This is the sad truth. All around the world, nature is being exploited for the sake of tourism, and the trend is likely to keep growing. Humans collectively have failed to appreciate the value of nature other than in terms of dollars and cents.