Singapore Tourist: Outdoor skating is latest Christmas attraction to pull in crowds

By Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/313645/1/.html

It is exactly a month before Christmas Day and the Singapore retail scene is already in a festive mood.

To give Singaporeans and expatriates a taste of a European Christmas in the tropics, a traditional Christmas Fair – minus woolly hats and gloves – was organised.

Jane Glascow, General Manager of The Pantry, Loewen Gardens, said: "I'm a bit of a Christmas freak – I love Christmas, and we needed to put Loewen Gardens on the map so I googled to find out what the Canadians' skate on in the summer."

Visitors can now skate in an outdoor rink made of Super Ice, a plastic compound that will not melt in the heat.

But that does not make it any easier for beginners, so help is available from the Heartware Network.

Skates can be hired at a cost of S$12 for an hour or S$8 for half an hour.

Limited to 25 skaters at any one time, the surface is as slippery as normal ice and it still hurts when one falls, but at least one wouldn't get wet or cold.

And for more than three-quarters of a million visitors, the Christmas Light-Up in Orchard Road is a major draw.

Tourists can take a half hour HiPPOtour to get the best view of the lights, courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

The tours start at the DuckTours office next to the STB Visitors Centre on Orchard Road and they run from 7pm till 9.30pm.

It took more than 125,000 man hours to put up the decorations in the Orchard Road and Marina Zone.

And it seems the efforts are very well appreciated.

"Very pretty, very, very Christmassy... we really enjoyed it," said a visitor.

Another tourist said: "This country is not so cold so these lights give you the mood of winter. They have done a very nice job."

"I think they've captured the spirit of Christmas, haven't they?"

A similar tour will be available for Singapore residents the weekend before Christmas, at a charge.

*** For Singapore itineraries and pictures, go to www.traveljournal.com.ph.