SINGAPORE: The Genting Dream luxury cruise ship will make Singapore its home port from Dec 3, in a year-long deployment.

This was announced on Thursday (Jan 19) by Genting Hong Kong’s premium cruise line brand Dream Cruises. The 18-deck, 151,300-tonne luxury liner can accommodate 3,400 guests. It currently calls the ports of Guangzhou and Hong Kong home. 

With the move to Singapore, it is expected to attract about 200,000 foreign cruise passengers and generate about S$80 million in tourism receipts, said the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). 

STB chief Lionel Yeo said the Asian cruise market has become increasingly vibrant, with the development of dedicated cruise terminals across Southeast Asia opening destinations such as Port Klang and Langkawi in Malaysia, as well as Thailand’s Laem Chabang.

He added that Singapore, too, has seen strong sales growth, with double digit figures recorded at the last travel fair organised by the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS).

“We attract cruise visitors from many places, from countries in close proximity like Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines to longer-haul markets like Australia, China and India,” said Mr Yeo. “In 2015, more than half of our international visitors to Singapore were from the middle and affluent classes, offering Genting Dream a ready market that they can tap on immediately.”

Dream Cruises said the move to Singapore and other destinations in Southeast Asia is “in complete isolation” to the Chinese market. The brand has a second cruise ship being constructed named World Dream.

TARGETING UPMARKET CLIENTELE IN THE REGION

For Genting Dream, it will offer several itineraries to Southeast Asian destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phuket and North Bali from Dec 3 to the end of March 2018.

President of Dream Cruises Thatcher Brown said the growth of a “burgeoning middle to affluent class” has allowed more in the region to begin taking vacations, with word of mouth through digital and social media fuelling demand. 

Unlike its sister line Star Cruises, Dream Cruises targets more upmarket clientele with Genting Dream. Guests will be given an “integrated resort” experience at sea with exclusive dining options, entertainment and a round-the-clock butler service among other premium amenities.

(Photo: Dream Cruises Singapore’s Facebook page)

However, Mr Brown agreed that some destinations in the region need more development and investment into infrastructure to further develop the industry in ASEAN.

“It’s up to us to demonstrate the positive impact of cruising, and if it means tendering in the beginning so that we prove to a destination that it’s worth building a port, then we need to do that,” he said. “We have to work with what we have, we have to demonstrate the positive impact of cruising, and then we have to work with our partners to build that capacity up and the infrastructure up.”

STB’s director of cruise Annie Chang agreed that developing Southeast Asia as a cruise destination was not something that Singapore could do alone.

“As Southeast Asia receives bigger and newer ships, there is a need for more ports and itineraries to open up,” said Ms Chang. “In that regard, what STB is doing together with our ASEAN member states is to look at enhancing or upgrading port infrastructure and ancillary services to cater to the bigger ships that are coming to this region.”

This was something discussed at an inaugural cruise dialogue that was held on Thursday afternoon at the ASEAN Tourism Forum in Singapore, which brought together representatives from the 10 member states, industry stakeholders and potential investors.

SINGAPORE: The number of dengue cases could increase in the next few months and peak in the middle of the year, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Thursday (Jan 19).

A key concern is the higher population of the Aedes aegypti mosquito in the past month. NEA’s Gravitrap surveillance system detected about 60 per cent more Aedes aegypti mosquitos in December 2016 compared to October that same year.

Another factor which may lead to an increase in dengue cases is the high diversity of circulating dengue serotypes or strains. DENV-2 dominated much of 2016, but it is uncertain which serotype will prevail in 2017.

“Historically, a change in predominant dengue virus serotype has been followed by a spike in dengue cases,” said NEA. “The Ministry of Health and NEA will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

So far this year, the number of dengue cases has been relatively low. According to latest data on NEA’s website, 202 cases have been recorded since the start of the year.

“If left unchecked, the high Aedes aegypti population may lead to a surge in dengue cases in 2017,” said NEA in a media release. “NEA therefore urges all members of the public and stakeholders to stay vigilant, and work together as a community to stem dengue transmission.”

DENGUE SITUATION IN 2016

Last year, there were a total of 13,115 dengue cases, far less than the projected number of more than 30,000 cases that experts had feared.

After a surge in the number of cases in early 2016, the situation was brought under control and remained so for the rest of the year, said NEA. It brought forward the annual Do the Mozzie Wipeout Campaign to February to tackle the problem.  

The projected dengue cases versus actual dengue cases in 2016. (Graph: NEA)

In 2016, NEA uncovered more than 16,000 instances of mosquito breeding habitats and about 3,900 households were fined for mosquito breeding, said NEA. This followed more than 1.2 million inspections, including 7.400 conducted on construction sites.

STAY VIGILANT: NEA

With Chinese New Year approaching, NEA is urging residents to prevent mosquito breeding, such as in ornamental plant containers. It is also reminded homeowners doing spring cleaning to properly dispose of any refuse to avoid discarded material from becoming unintentional mosquito breeding habitats.

Those planning to go overseas should also mosquito-proof their homes before they travel, said NEA. They should also cover all toilet bowls at home.

“Persons infected with dengue should protect themselves from mosquito bites by applying repellent regularly, and those showing symptoms suggestive of dengue should see their doctors early to be diagnosed,” the agency added.