Tens of thousands of fans are expected to converge for the Singapore Grand Prix from Friday to Sunday as the night race roars back after a two-year absence because of Covid.
Away from the track, the city-state will be letting its hair down with concerts by Westlife, Black Eyed Peas and Suede, plus American rapper Fatman Scoop and Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens. "It signals to the world that Singapore is back in business and that our ability to stage world-class, high-quality events remains undimmed," Ong Ling Lee, an executive director at Singapore Tourism Board , told AFP.
But it shifted to endemicity earlier this year and last week overtook Hong Kong as Asia's premier finance centre in a global ranking list. Hotel bookings have been brisk, even with room rates estimated to be up to 50 percent higher than they were pre-Covid."There's a lot of pent-up demand for those race enthusiasts looking forward to come back to Singapore," said Marcus Hanna, managing director of Fairmont Singapore and Swissotel The Stamford.F1 after-party specialist Amber Lounge has a"Noir Suite" for up to 25 people at the five-star Fullerton Bay Hotel costing Sg$100,000 a night.