An upgraded fountain, perfumed foam parties
                 and a fishing village are planned to bring in the
                 crowds

                 By KOH BOON PIN

                 AN UPGRADED musical fountain, gigantic
                 mechanical bugs and perfumed foam parties. These
                 are just some of the attractions Sentosa has planned,
                 as the resort island gears up to attract visitors in a big
                 way.

                 As Mr Pek Hock Thiam, chief executive of Sentosa
                 Development Corporation (SDC), told The Straits
                 Times: "These days, attractions have a short shelf-life,
                 so what we're doing is re-inventing ourselves.

                 "With NTUC's Downtown East resort and Snowcity,
                 the competition is getting hotter and everyone's doing
                 new things. But we hope that our grand vision will
                 help us retain our position as Singapore's favourite
                 attraction."

                 The first of the island's new features -- its $5-million
                 upgraded musical fountain -- was unveiled last night.
                 Mr Alvin Chia, SDC's attractions development and
                 business promotions manager, said: "We thought
                 about this as far back as 1993 but we had other
                 priorities and we were also waiting for new
                 developments in technology.

                 "Now, through water, lights, video projection and
                 sound effects, we want to maximise our visitors'
                 experience and make it a lot more fun."

                 A new feature of the fountain is an oscillating water
                 curtain comprising 16 jets which can shoot water 25
                 m into the air, twice the height it could before. Mr
                 Pek said other new attractions are perfumed foam
                 parties "to leave people smelling good, even after all
                 their dancing", which will be introduced in June, and
                 an as-yet-unnamed attraction, which will "lift people
                 to new heights of fun and entertainment" in October.

                 Those wanting to pick up some fishing skills can visit
                 the revamped Asian Village, when it re-opens later
                 this year as a fishing village.

                 Those who are into creepy-crawlies can check out
                 Volcanoland early next year, when it will be invaded
                 by gigantic mechanical bugs "many times the size of
                 human beings".

                 With the new attractions, Mr Pek said he hoped it
                 would increase arrivals on the island by more than 10
                 per cent this year over last year's 3.3 million visitors.

                 He said a new pricing structure would be announced
                 soon to "help Singaporeans enjoy the new Sentosa".

                       Adapted from The Straits Times, 9 May 2000.