How quickly 2010 is flying by - already half a year has gone by.

And in many ways, it's a good time for me to start in my new role as Director, Communications & Strategic Marketing and Editor of P@SSPORT. Not only are we breaking new records – record visitor arrivals in May, record throughput at Changi airport – hotels and attractions are also reporting brisk business.

As many of you know, on June 23, Marina Bay Sands opened to much fanfare, placing our island in the international spotlight. We caught up with the Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp, Sheldon Adelson, and he tells us why Singapore is a good place to be in.

The original diva herself, Diana Ross was also in town, as was Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland, to entertain the thousands of guests who attended the opening celebration.

The two Integrated Resorts have helped to pull in the tourist numbers but it’s thanks to everyone – the collective effort by all our partners – that Singapore tourism is soaring. Yes, kudos to the team behind the Singapore River Festival and its popular acrobatic stunts across the river. And also to our airline partners, who continue to expand into and out of Singapore, ensuring that the visitors keep coming.

With more events scheduled in the coming months – not least the 2010 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix – we are confident that the sector will register its best performance to date, achieving our forecast of 11.5 – 12.5 million visitor arrivals for 2010.

Thank you everyone for making this possible and I look forward to working with all of you to make P@SSPORT an even better and more relevant read each month. You're most welcome to share your feedback with me.

Sincerely,
Paul Tan
Director
Communications Division