Work to begin on $6.8b RWS expansion, including new hotels

Singapore's two integrated resort (IR) operators are accelerating plans to ramp up their offerings in efforts to draw more visitors.

- Kang Wan Chern

It comes just as Singapore is raising airport fees for visitors, and against the backdrop of increased competition for tourists from the region, as well as global economic uncertainty.

In a third-quarter business update on Nov 7, Genting Singapore said it will commence work on a $6.8 billion expansion of Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) with new non-gaming attractions.

Construction of a waterfront development, which includes two new luxury hotels with a total of 700 rooms, will begin in November. Other new attractions include a Harry Potter interactive art experience launching in November, followed by the opening of Minion Land in Universal Studios Singapore in the first quarter of 2025.

Also on Nov 7, rival Marina Bay Sands (MBS) gave an update on the ongoing US$1.75 billion (S$2.3 billion) refurbishment of its three hotel towers, which began in 2022.