"Winter In The Tropics" draws travelers from the Middle East

Middle Eastern travellers to the Lion City will encounter a rich blend of traditional culture fused with modern day life creating a dynamic and exciting city of contrast and colour.

Many of the city's streets will be adorned with a rich tapestry of street lighting and spectacular decorations to entertain visitors while the world-famous Orchard Road will be transformed by regular shows by local and international performers and artistes.

The annual "Light Up" is the longest display in Asia, transforming Orchard Road down to the Marina Bay area with magnificent arches, awe-inspiring water-features, decorative street lighting and picture-perfect sets.

Visitors will be treated to a complementary 30-minute visual treat of the light-up on the open-top HIPPO Bus.

"Thousands of visitors from the Middle East experience Singapore's warm hospitality each year. The city offers countless unique events and festivals for visitors to enjoy, providing truly memorable experiences," said Ke-Wei Peh, Area Director for the Middle East and Africa, Singapore Tourism Board.

"With its harmonious blend of cultures, architecture, cuisines and arts, Singapore offers every visitor unique, personal experiences, regardless of whether they have visited Singapore before. And this winter season is no exception as we usher in the new year with a spectacular street light-up, special shopping deals as well as a magnificent 'Parade of Floats' down Orchard Road," he added.

Singapore Tourism Board's own survey shows that 20 percent of visitors who were in Singapore during the same period last year had specifically planned their trip to coincide with Singapore's year-end celebrations and the annual spectacular street Light-Up.

One particularly noteworthy fact from the study was that an estimated 22 percent of tourists were repeat visitors specifically for the Light-Up.

To celebrate the winter season, Singapore is welcoming visitors to the country with a wide range of activities including parties, exhibitions, special programmes at attractions, late-night shopping promotions and internationally-acclaimed performances by bands and orchestras.

An added attraction for visitors this year is the inaugural Singapore Garden Festival running from 16-25 December. The show is the first in the region to attract award-winning landscape gardeners and designers to showcase their creations in order to create a floral extravaganza.

Singapore has become an increasingly popular destination for Middle East tourists in recent years with the winter season traditionally attracting a significant number of visitors from the region particularly towards the Eid holidays. With more than 14 percent of its population being Muslim, visitors will not have to travel far to find Halal food or a mosque in Singapore.