According to the Singapore Tourism Board, last year’s Great Singapore Sale saw retail figures reach a staggering £5.3 billion in just over the two month period. Bargain hunters and fashionistas flocked to the island state in 2010 for the chance of acquiring some of the fashion and luxury goods at much reduced prices.
Not only did the sales’ emporiums benefit, but with visitor arrivals for the months of June and July 2010 increased by 25.4%, it is a fair bet that hotels, entertainment venues, transport, and attractions all benefited as well. The Singapore Sale gets better every year and both visitors and locals enjoy the occasion.
Anyone who has been to Singapore will freely admit that tax-free shopping is one of the delights of the city, with unlimited choices and prices slashed by up to 70% off the original prices (according to the Singapore Tourist Board). Just name the brand you want and it’s sure to be there, whether it’s a French designer outfit, shoes from a bespoke English cobbler, fountain pens and watches from Switzerland, or the more humdrum electronics from cameras to iPad.
Listed by Frommers as being amongst their 300 Unmissable Events and Festivals Across the World, the Great Singapore Sale starts today, May 27th and continues until Sunday July 24th.
The shopping centres, department stores, designer stores, restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels and even spas taking part are located in what most people refer to as the centre of the city. Stretching from Orchard Road and Marina Bay to the Southern Waterfront and the suburbs, the promotions are set to bowl tourists over with big, big, discounts.
An extra 66,000 square metres of stylish retail space is on offer this year with the recent opening of the futuristic mall called ION on Orchard Road. Looming up like a space voyager’s dream, this shopping mall houses the likes of Dior Homme, Louis Vuitton and Diane von Furstenberg for the well-heeled, but they don’t forget the budget-conscious shopper and there are outlets like Topshop, Mango and Forever 21 to cater to this end of the market.
Orchard Road is a bit like the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, a chic haven for the best shops in the world, and along the length of this famous shopping avenue are 313@Orchard, Orchard Central and the Mandarin Gallery for browsing and buying. If it’s ethnic you want, then head for the exclusive boutiques in Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India where a stunning array of value for money items can be found.
And if the plastic becomes bent to to an unrealistic level and the cash is exhausted, the savvy shopper can still be in with the chance of winning one of a range of prizes from a shopping holiday to a large cash award.
Singapore Tourism Board
Where to Eat in Singapore
Mari Nicholson - Award Winning travel writer and historian, member of British Guild of Travel Writers.Travelwriters.co.uk, and Society of Women Writers and ...
