Resorts World Sentosa volition "be ready" erstwhile Singapore's Gambling Regulatory Authority considers its casino licence renewal successful 2026, the company's CEO Lee Shi Ruh told CNBC precocious past month.
In November 2024, Singapore's gambling bureau announced it was renewing the integrated resort's casino licence for 2 years, alternatively of three, citing "unsatisfactory" tourism show from 2021 to 2023.
The announcement came aft Resorts World Sentosa had pledged to put $6.8 cardinal Singapore dollars ($5.3 billion) to renew and grow the integrated resort.
The truncated licence renewal has not changed Resorts World Sentosa's enlargement oregon concern plans, Lee said.
The institution opened 2 caller attractions successful 2025, Minion Land astatine the Universal Studios Singapore taxable park, and the Singapore Oceanarium, which replaced the integrated resort's older S.E.A. Aquarium.
"This twelvemonth is truly a game-changing twelvemonth for us," she said. "Over the adjacent fewer years... to 2030, we volition beryllium continuing to motorboat caller attractions."
In announcing the two-year licence renewal, the Gambling Regulatory Authority considered Resorts World Sentosa's quality to "develop, support and promote" itself arsenic a compelling tourer destination.
When asked which of these areas the edifice is focused on, Lee said: "The large propulsion for america is truly transforming Resorts World Sentosa into a premium manner destination."
Tapping into 'experiences'
Shopping, erstwhile a apical precedence for travelers successful Asia, is not a precedence successful the resort's transformation, said Lee.
"Our absorption is truly into experiences," Lee said.
The determination to regenerate a "Madagascar" movie-themed country of Universal Studios Singapore with Minion Land was, successful part, related to the cosmopolitan entreaty of the characters successful the "Despicable Me" franchise, she added.
"Minions stood retired due to the fact that ... this yellowish quality is precise resonate to each ages of visitors, and each astir the satellite due to the fact that of the connection that they use. It resonates from Asia to Europe to America and everyplace else. So to us, there's a communal connection we tin use," she said.
Minions talk their ain language, called Minionese, which incorporates elements of English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and Tagalog, among others, according to the "Despicable Me" fandom website.
Resorts World Sentosa is besides readying to unfastened caller hotels, including The Laurus, a luxury edifice designed similar a "collector's home" successful Singapore, that is acceptable to unfastened aboriginal successful 2025, Lee said.
In coming years, the integrated edifice is readying to motorboat Super Nintendo World inside Universal Studios Singapore, arsenic good arsenic an elevated waterfront manner analyzable with a 700-room hotel, hiking trails and a 289-foot airy sculpture, she said.
"The waterfront manner analyzable is truly going to heighten the entreaty of the Greater Southern Waterfront," she said. The analyzable is simply a "brownfield project," which volition beryllium disposable from mainland Singapore.
Lee declined to remark connected whether the planned manner analyzable volition person gaming facilities.
—CNBC's Kaela Ling contributed to this report.
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