singapore hotel: tháng 5 2014

Thứ Bảy, 31 tháng 5, 2014

Robb on trade"s front foot

WHEN Tony Abbott declared Australia open for business during his euphoric election night victory speech last year, he was foreshadowing a not-so-subtle challenge for one of his key cabinet members, Andrew Robb.

Within a few short months, the Trade and Investment Minister would be lunching in Singapore with six potential investors managing $1.2 trillion dollars between them in sovereign wealth funds.

But with only one of them currently investing $200 billion in Australia, his challenge is selling the nation’s business strengths and opportunities, to attract the other $1 trillion locally, including injecting foreign funds to grow Australian agriculture and agribusiness.

In opposition, Mr Robb carried a heavy work load as the Shadow Finance Minister and chair of the Coalition’s policy development committee, where his work ethic combined with effective stakeholder consultation, was highly rated.

At one stage, Julie Bishop lobbied to retain both of her shadow portfolios in Trade and Foreign Affairs, should the Coalition win government, but that move failed to eventuate.

Ms Bishop was eventually appointed Foreign Affairs Minister in Mr Abbott’s first ministry while Mr Robb was given the triple whammy of Trade, Investment and Tourism.

As the minister responsible for tourism, Mr Robb doesn’t wear the official title of Tourism Minister but that portfolio has been moved into one of his agencies, Austrade, to support the new government’s focus on international tourism.

Understanding the weight of his key challenge to sell Australia’s strengths to the world, the former National Farmers’ Federation boss and Victorian Liberal MP has wasted no time making strong inroads and goes about his task without an assistant minister or parliamentary secretary.

Since the nation’s 69th ministry was sworn in last September, he’s attended 27 investment roundtable meetings in 10 different countries throughout the world.

He spends two-thirds of his time abroad on government business and is often accompanied by farming and agribusiness leaders seeking opportunities to boost Australian food and fibre exports.

Robb on trade"s front foot

Crown boss says Australian tourism must lift game

Australia’s tourism industry has to lift its game if it is to capture the prize of China’s new class of globe-trotting travellers, says Crown chief executive Rowen Craigie.

The number of annual Chinese overseas travellers had grown 10-fold to 100 million since 2000 and was expected to double again by the end of the current decade, said the head of the gaming company, which also has interests in Macau casinos.

However, federal and state governments and the private sectors had to do better to fully capitalise on and increase the current 700,000 annual visitors and $5 billion in economic value of that market.

“If Australia doesn’t get its act together it won’t capture a market share it otherwise would,” Mr Craigie said.

Mr Craigie was speaking at the Australia in China’s Century Conference at Crown’s Melbourne casino complex.

Foreign minister Julie Bishop told the same conference that China’s middle class had become the world’s most influential tourists and would drive the global industry for years .

Despite the common message that Australia is a nearby regional destination for the Chinese, Mr Craigie argued the tyranny of distance was keeping them away, with nearby Hong Kong and Singapore favoured.

Crown, which is chaired by billionaire and major shareholder James Packer, is desperate to boost its share of China’s high-end tourist, high roller gaming market partly through a planned new VIP casino and luxury hotel in Sydney.

Mr Craigie said Australia’s travel visa system had to be made simpler for Chinese travellers including printing it in Mandarin and providing it online.

Australian airport arrivals areas were not world-class and neither was training for the tourism industry while state government gaming regulatory and tax settings should be made more “competitive”, he said.

“I think the federal government does have an appreciation that we are in an intensely competitive environment in which hundreds of countries are looking at the same tourism prize,” he said.

Crown boss says Australian tourism must lift game

Value-add main criterion for admitting foreign entrepreneurs

Singapore

AN “accident”, is how Casa Italia chief executive Phippo Hardegger describes founding his gelato company in Singapore.

Unable to secure an Australian visa, the Swiss was persuaded by a friend to come here instead. Finding regulations that do not hinder, and a government forthcoming with the information he needed, sealed the decision, he says.

“Everything is so clearly regulated, people keep to their contracts, and you have pretty much no corruption here,” he says. “It’s just extremely convenient.”

Previously named Gelateria Italia, the firm has opened 15 stores in three years of existence. A lot of attention here is paid to local startups, but foreign entrepreneurs like Mr Hardegger contribute significantly to the vitality of the entrepreneurial scene too.

While there are no official statistics tracking the population of foreign entrepreneurs here, a number of them are on the EntrePass scheme, which permits them to start businesses in Singapore.

According to the Ministry of Manpower, the number of EntrePass holders fell 23.1 per cent, from 1,300 in 2012 to 1,000 last year, but some observers feel it is the quality and not the quantity of these entrepreneurs that matters.

“The number is not the issue. The issues are the quality of the business, its leadership and its value to Singapore,” said Victor Mills, acting chief executive of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce. “Singapore looks for quality, not quantity.”

MOM revised EntrePass requirements last September to ensure it attracts “foreign entrepreneurs who can inject innovation and vibrancy into Singapore’s business scene”, said an MOM spokesman. Most EntrePass holders operate in commerce or finance and business services. Last year saw 2,000 EntrePass applications and, as has been the case since 2003, half were approved.

There are other possible reasons for the fall in EntrePass holders. Singapore now competes for foreign entrepreneurs with countries that may be closer to the entrepreneurs’ homes, said Singapore Management University associate professor of strategic management Tan Wee Liang.

Insead professor of entrepreneurship Philip Anderson reckons, however, that “the most logical explanation is simple economics – Singapore is expensive. If the cost of living continues to rise, we will probably see a shift in foreign entrepreneurs”. But he adds that “on balance (Singapore) is attractive for entrepreneurs who seek to reach a pan-Asia market”.

As Asia’s safest and most attractive living space, Singapore is “Asia-lite”, and easy for foreigners to fit into, said Mr Mills. Wong Poh Kam, director of the National University of Singapore Entrepreneurship Centre, added that culturally, linguistically and racially diverse Singapore is an “ideal test-bed” for those eyeing Asia.

Hiroshi Tatara, who founded Japanese food group RES here in 1988, also sees Singapore as an ideal “showcase” for presenting a business to potential partners. Twelve million tourists a year visiting such a “small territory” means good exposure to partners interested in expanding a concept regionally, he said.

One foreign entrepreneur who started a business here that has since gone regional is Norbreeze Group’s Danish chief executive, Anders Peter Juel Sauerberg. Since its 2004 founding, the watch group has come to also carry jewellery and lifestyle products in 50 stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Norbreeze began by importing “affordable-luxury” watches after Mr Sauerberg spotted a mid-range void in market offerings here. It now expects turnover to exceed $70 million this year before growing over 40 per cent in each of the next three to five years.

Mr Hardegger is similarly optimistic. “Our target is to have the first global gelato chain in the world,” he says. In this, his challenge has been finding people committed to the service industry. “The people who apply for these jobs are coming out of school … they’re not used to work.”

“If something is not 100 per cent according to what they like, they just walk out of your store,” he said, so front-end staff must make gelato at the factory for a “feel for what they sell”.

Norbreeze tackles similar challenges with its “Danish management style, which is the opposite of micromanagement”, says Mr Sauerberg. “It’s empowering people, having a clear vision of what you want to do, (letting) people get on with their jobs.”

Besides its corporate culture, the “secret sauce” in Norbreeze’s customer service is its in-house training, he says. Three sales trainers shape each store’s training based on monthly evaluations by the company’s “mystery shoppers”.

Finding the right people is also Stone Apple Solutions’ biggest challenge, says the IT service provider’s chief executive, Madhujeet Chimni. But chief operating officer Bharadwaj Chivukula says staying at technology’s forefront helps Stone Apple woo talent.

“When you’re in technology, you want to be working on the latest releases,” he said. “You’d rather be with an organisation that is in the limelight … nobody likes to be idle.” In this, Singapore has been an ideal host.

Mr Chimni and Mr Chivukula, who were already based in Singapore, started the company in 2009 with a third partner. From just its founders – all three of whom are Indian nationals – the company now employs 1,400 staff.

Even as it scaled up for “critical mass”, Stone Apple has tried to “stay niche, and at the same time stay relevant to the enterprise community,” said Mr Chivukula. Its specialities include enterprise resource planning and business intelligence and analytics. Mr Chimni believes Stone Apple’s focus is an essential part of the growth story of the company, which generated a turnover of $80 million last year in 12 countries stretching from Australia to the US.

Scaling up and reaching global markets is the challenge for Singapore-based businesses, says Prof Wong. In this respect, he believes businesses run by foreign entrepreneurs knowledgeable of their home market may actually have an advantage over companies managed mainly by locals.

“Because of this, we are now seeing many of our young tech start-ups being founded by a team of entrepreneurs from different parts of the world,” he said.

He expects foreign entrepreneurship here to rise. “Asia is driving global economic growth, so entrepreneurs here are in the right place at the right time.”

Value-add main criterion for admitting foreign entrepreneurs

Zukanovic axed from Bosnia"s World Cup squad

Bosnia coach Safet Susic has axed defender Ervin Zukanovic from his World Cup squad following a dispute between the Gent defender and the national federation, the FSBIH confirmed on Friday.

“Following unfounded accusations by this player and consultations with colleagues and players, the coach Susic has decided to no longer count on Zukanovic at the World Cup in Brazil,” the FSBIH said in a statement.

The Bosnian team left Sarajevo on Tuesday for a training camp in the United States, leaving Zukanovic behind waiting for a US visa which had not been attributed to him before their departure.

“I’m sad and very disappointed. How is such a thing possible?!” Zukanovic told the local press.

“It’s the federation’s fault.”

Susic had told Zukanovic he could join his teammates in Brazil even if his US visa did not arrive in time.

Bosnia open their World Cup campaign on June 15 against Argentina, before taking on Nigeria on June 21 followed by Iran four days later in Group F.

Zukanovic axed from Bosnia"s World Cup squad

World Cup city gripped by dengue fever

The Brazilian city where Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Nigeria’s John Mikel Obi will train for the World Cup is in the grip of a crippling dengue fever epidemic.

Workers in Campinas have embarked on a huge operation to eradicate mosquitos, which spread the disease, before the Portuguese and Nigerian teams arrive.

Some 32,384 people have been infected by dengue this year in the southeastern city about one hour from Sao Paulo. At least three people have died.

“It’s a record epidemic. It’s bigger than the 11,500 cases registered in all of 2007,” said Andrea Von Zuben, who coordinates the Campinas dengue control program.

Dengue is a viral infection carried by the aedes aegypti mosquito.

The fever is like chronic influenza with severe headaches, muscle and joint pain, vomiting and a rash.

Severe cases can be deadly. Three people have died of dengue this year in Campinas, women aged 27, 69 and 81. Three other deaths are being investigated to see if they were caused by the disease.

There is no cure for dengue, so prevention is the best medicine.

The World Health Organization recommends people in infected areas prevent mosquito bites with window screens, insect repellant and mosquito coils.

It also suggests covering up exposed skin — advice that may cramp Portuguese captain Ronaldo’s bare-chested style, a topic of much commentary after his pectoral-flexing goal celebration at this year’s Champions League final.

Brazil has been hit harder by dengue than any other country so far this century, with seven million cases reported between 2000 and 2013.

Von Zuben said the Campinas outbreak was being driven by a heatwave at the beginning of the year, the prevalence of a particularly virulent dengue strain and poor sanitation that leaves pools of standing water where mosquitos breed.

But she said the areas where the Nigerian and Portuguese squads will be are a mosquito-control priority for health officials.

“We put larvicides and anti-mosquito poisons at the airport, in the training centers and in the hotels, so the teams will run a much smaller risk than the local population,” she told AFP.

- Team doctors ‘concerned’ -

The authorities have been in touch with the teams’ doctors, who were “concerned,” Von Zuben said.

She said her staff had recommended insect repellant.

“We’ve been guaranteed that the situation has been identified and is under control. There shouldn’t be any reason for alarm,” said the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).

In early May, when Portuguese coach Paulo Bento visited the training center, city officials told him three mosquito-control operations would be carried out before the team arrives on June 11.

The army has helped sanitation workers clean up 83,000 tonnes of rubbish and dozens of buildings have been sealed off and sprayed.

Campinas is not the only city facing the dengue threat.

Medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases recently said World Cup host cities Natal, Fortaleza and Recife in the northeast were also at risk.

Of course, infectious diseases are a two-way street.

Campinas has also launched a program to give citizens free vaccinations before World Cup fans descend on the city from Africa and Europe, where “polio and measles are still persistent,” it said.

Priority will be given to taxi and bus drivers, employees at restaurants and tourist attractions, and the staff of six major hotels.

World Cup city gripped by dengue fever

Tearing Through the Canadian Rockies on a New Train Route

(The Pacific Ocean on the left, Seattle on the right. All photos by Becky Cheang)

By Becky Cheang

I love trains. I first fell in love with them when I lived in Switzerland in 2010. (How can you not fall in love with trains in Switzerland?) So when Canadian tour company Rocky Mountaineer invited Fathom on its inaugural train ride of its newest and first route into the United States from Vancouver to Seattle, it was an easy yes.

Rocky Mountaineer has been running through the Rocky Mountains since 1990. Our route took us from Alberta to Washington via British Columbia. From the majestic mountains of Banff to the arid plains of Kamloops to the cosmopolitan ease of Vancouver and finally along the gorgeous Pacific Coast to Seattle. The Coastal Passage route officially lauched this month and will run through the season, which ends in October.

It was also my first trip to Canada, which until now had been little more than that big country north of the United States. (I grew up in Singapore.)

My first impression was the sunset drive from Calgary airport to Lake Louise. The mountain range in the distance made me feel like I was back in Switzerland, where the horizon is constantly interrupted by the Alps.

This photo of Lake Louise has not been retouched. It’s really that green.

The First Day in Banff

Rocky Mountaineer only travels by day to take advantage of the scenery, so their trips include overnight stays at partner hotels at each stop. I spent two nights before the trip at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, where the grand lobby, winding staircases, mountain-scene murals, and intricate chandeliers only added to the Swiss mood.

My room was big-hotel plush — gilded mirrors, deep mattress, French doors into the bathroom. The view is the main attraction here, and for good reason. Emerald-green Lake Louise is something out of a fairy tale. Its gorgeous color comes from unique particles in the melted glacier ice nearby that feeds the lake.

Canoeing in Bow River.

I spent the late morning on a 12-man canoe along Bow River learning about the indigenous Native American tribe the First Nations, spotting beaver dams, and falling in love with a gorgeous, centuries-old Hudson Bay coat (the First Nations used to trade beaver pelts for these, and this one was worth four pelts).

Make the trek to the meteorological station on the other peak. The views are worth it.

After lunch, we went up Sulfur Mountain on the Banff Gondola for panoramic views of Banff National Park and the Rockies. Stunning, though the views are even better from the summit walk along the mountain ridge towards the historic Sanson’s Peak Meteorological Station.

One day to explore is not enough for Banff, but I was glad for the introduction. (I’ll be back.) The next morning, we were off to the station. Our four-day train journey was under way.

Trainspotting on the way out of Banff.

All Aboard

I was riding the GoldLeaf service (Rocky Mountaineer’s first class) in a double-decker, glass-domed coach. Four hosts rolled out a literal red carpet for the passengers, gave us a commemorative red maple leaf pin, and led us in their welcome-aboard toast with orange juice. (Super cheesy, but also kind of sweet.) The hosts laid out some ground rules, the most interesting of which was, “If you see a bear, shout. Don’t keep it to yourself.” Yay, bears!

Other than potentially shouting, I wouldn’t have to do too much hard labor on this trip. My luggage was delivered to every hotel along the way. Checking my bag at the station was just one of the many little details that brought me back to the early days of luxurious train travel. Not that I’ve ever experienced them firsthand. I am only 24.

I could have easily spent the whole trip in my cushy seat upstairs enjoying the scenery while being served copious amounts of food and drink. But I liked the outdoor vestibule downstairs. I leaned over the railing and felt the wind blowing on my face as the train sped along at 50 miles per hour. Like I said, I am 24.

Alberta pork tenderloin, prepared and cooked on board.

The dining room on the lower level serves a la carte breakfast and lunch. Sitting down to multiple sets of flatware made me feel incredibly important and utterly underdressed for fancy meals served by a host and chefs.

Meals, as much as possible, are prepared onboard using locally sourced ingredients — wild Pacific salmon, tender Alberta pork and beef. Everything was so delicious and plated so beautifully that it’s hard to believe it was prepared on a moving train in the corridor of a kitchen. This requires skill and impromptu creativity: I was impressed how quickly sous chefs Daniel and Vim whipped up an alternate dessert for a passenger who was allergic to chocolate. (That poor, poor woman. She was allergic to alcohol, too.)

The meals were endless, as were the drinks. I tried a Caesar, the Canadian version of a Bloody Mary made with an added shot of oyster juice. It’s better than the original.

The Rocky Mountaineer en route to Kamloops.

The scenery was, of course, breathtaking, and we were blessed with incredibly sunny weather the whole trip. On the nine-hour journey from Banff to Kamloops, the landscape changed from deep valleys and never-ending glacier-fed rivers to dry, flatlands and rocky landscapes past the Thompson River, Rogers Pass, and the Spiral Tunnels, a figure-eight track through a mountain. I marveled at the ingenuity of the early explorer who looked at a mountain and decided, “Hey, let’s blast a railway through that.”

We reached Kamloops at sunset, and I collapsed into bed at the hotel, wiped out from what in theory was a relaxing day of travel. We barely got a glimpse of Kamloops before we left for Vancouver the following morning. Kamloops to Vancouver was a four-hour trip from dusty desert into dense forests to Hell’s Gate, a gorge popular with bungee jumpers, and then into the industrial outskirts of Vancouver.

The best way to wake up: a morning bike ride around the Stanley Park seawall.

Mid-Trip Stop in Vancouver

We hit Vancouver late afternoon and checked into Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, whose grandeur befits its nickname, “Castle in the City.” The hotel is located one street away from downtown’s main shopping strip, close enough to the water for an early-morning bike ride around the Stanley Park seawall. The ride was a definite city highlight, even if my already-sore-from-sitting-on-a-train-all-day behind hurt even more after an hour on a rented bike.

But I needed the exercise because I spent the rest of the day eating on a tour of the city’s bustling food truck scene with Vancouver Foodie Tour. Big discovery: I will happily cross the continental divide for the fish tacos at Tacofino.

That afternoon, we went on another food tour of the massive public market on Granville Island. Although not technically an island but rather a peninsula, the neighborhood is a favorite with locals and tourists for the market, the boutiques, and the art spaces. I had fantastic chai masala tea at Granville Island Tea Co., fell in love with the tiny paper and stationery store Paper-Ya, and stocked up on maple syrup and foodie souvenirs at Edible Canada.

Boats along the Pacific Northwest coast.

The Final Leg to Seattle

The final leg from Vancouver to Seattle was my favorite part of the trip. We were on a different train, this one configured with a caboose whose outdoor vestibule afforded me grand and panoramic, 270-degree views. I loved watching the train tracks unspool behind me. Breathing sea air after days in the mountains was invigorating.

This was an unplugged vacation for me since I had no phone service for the majority of the trip. (I really need to upgrade to a better phone plan.) But this meant I spent my time doing what I do best: talking, especially with the staff, who know everything and then some (and were the only people on board within my generation). Zebulon, a ridiculously informative guest service manager, answered my barrage of questions about the passing trees and life on the rails. My fellow passengers were nice, if a little older by a few decades than the travelers I usually encounter. One woman was celebrating her 85th birthday; another couple, their retirement.

Time flew by, and I was back on American soil. Back to our boring, efficient modern modes of transportation. Yay, the E train on the NYC subway! But that wasn’t the biggest letdown.

No, it was the bears. I didn’t get to see one! Apparently, some passengers spotted a grizzly and forgot the shout-at-bear rule. I was, and still am, so annoyed. I suggested to Zebulon that they change it to a No-Shout-No-Ride rule and immediately evict anyone who doesn’t share the bear. Then again, I can think of worse places to be abandoned.

Plan Your Trip

Choose your route: Rocky Mountaineer offers six different routes through the Rockies, varying in length from 1 to 24 days. I took the Coastal Passage route. There are also additional packages that combine a cruise option.

Choose your coach: GoldLeaf service costs up to $5,000 USD for a five-day package. Tickets can be booked years in advance. The other classes of service, SilverLeaf and RedLeaf, cost much less.

When to Go

Rocky Mountaineer operates from April through October. Prices are lower in the off-season, but the best weather is in July and August.

More on Fathom

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Around the World in 547 Days

Tearing Through the Canadian Rockies on a New Train Route

Third runway, more terminals, on-site hotel and driverless train planned for ...

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Third runway, more terminals, on-site hotel and driverless train planned for ...

Ideal salary for living in Singapore is S$6000: survey

More than half of people responding to a local salary survey believe that $6,000 is the ideal monthly salary in Singapore given the cost of living in the nation-state.

According to JobStreet, which conducted the survey in April this year and released the results on Friday, the $6,000 is higher than Singapore’s average monthly wage of $4,998 last year.

It seems unsurprising, therefore, that some 83 per cent of the survey’s 622 respondents said they were dissatisfied with their current salaries.

Of the pool of respondents, 42 per cent said what they earn is only sufficient to cover their basic needs — things that include housing, food, transport, family (in terms of dependents like children and elderly parents) and utilities — while 31 per cent said they could afford some luxuries over and above their basic needs.

Just 4 per cent said they were very comfortable with their salaries, while 23 per cent said they were struggling to make ends meet.

Within the 23 per cent, 7 in 10 said they earned less than $3,000 a month.

When those dissatisfied with their salaries were asked how much their pay should increase by before they are satisfied, 66 per cent said they should see an increase of between 10 and 20 per cent.

Some 622 Singaporean workers across various industries in Singapore participated in the survey, which scoped employees’ sentiment about how much they earn, what they spend their money on and how much they save each month, given that Singapore was named the costliest city in the world for expatriates.

Check out the survey’s findings at a glance here:

Cost of living survey among 622 Singaporean workers across various industries here, conducted in April 2014. (Jobstreet …

Read more about the survey’s findings here.

Ideal salary for living in Singapore is S$6000: survey

The One Travel Introduce New Routes

The One Travel introduce new routes from Singapore to various destinations in Malaysia which includes Kg Koh, Casa Del Rio Melaka Hotel, Genting Mushroom Farm Bus Terminal and many more.

Singapore — (SBWIRE) — 05/29/2014 — The One Travel published their new routes with the help and expertise of Easibook.com. They come up with their latest drop off and pick up points to meet the needs, convenience and expectations of passengers who usually travel in Singapore and Malaysia. In this way, most of their passengers can opt to take a trip by their express bus from Boon Lay or Golden Mile, Shopping Complex, Kampung Koh, Perak and Casa Del Melaka Hotel. Moreover, the One Travel bus express holds their pick up station from the Compass Point to Tampines Singapore and from Singapore to Genting Mushroom Farm Bus Terminal.

The One Travel offers their passengers with affordable bus tickets that will perfectly fit with their budget. Most of the bus tickets of One Travel for various destinations can be purchased on the website of Easibook.com. The One Travel will guarantee their passengers that they will obtain the utmost travel experience from the country of Malaysia up to the country of Singapore. The One Travel has been established last January 2014 and they collaborate with Malaysia Five Stars that offers bus express services to different destinations in the country of Malaysia.

Most of the popular and latest bus routes that are being offered by One Travel can be found at Easibook.com that includes bus route from Singapore to Mersing, Singapore to Kluang, Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore to Utama, Singapore to Melaka and Singapore to Ipoh. Since the Easibook,com is considered as the biggest ticketing site, it will be very easy to book for bus tickets with them and rest assured that they will be glad to assist and help their passengers to reach their preferred destinations.

The One Travel is expecting that their passengers will check out the website of the company to know more about their new routes that they are offering to their passengers with reasonable ticket price.

About Easibook

The Easibook.com is a kind of online booking network that provides their passengers with affordable ticket price and convenient travel route and experience throughout the country of Singapore and Malaysia. The Easibook.com is located at 1 North Bridge Road #02-17, High Street Centre, Singapore 179094.

To learn more, please check out http://www.easibook.com/easibookNew/news/the-one-travel-sg-kgkoh-bus-tickets.aspx. For inquiries, please contact them +65 6333 1948 or send an email at enquiry@easibook.com.

Contact: William

Company: Easibook

Address: 1 North Bridge Road #02-17, High Street Centre, Singapore 179094

Telephone Number: +65 6333 1948

Email: enquiry@easibook.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/the-one-travel-introduce-new-routes-514037.htm

The One Travel Introduce New Routes

Boeing, Saab See Surveillance Plane Demand Rising Across Asia

Boeing Co. (BA), the second-biggest

defense contractor in the U.S., and Saab AB (SAABB) expect demand for

maritime and aerial surveillance systems to grow in Asia as

territorial disputes intensify.

Demand for maritime patrol craft and affiliated equipment

in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow steadily for the

foreseeable future, Chris Chadwick, head of Boeing’s defense

business, said yesterday in Singapore. Boeing and Stockholm,

Sweden-based Saab both manufacture aircraft used for maritime

patrol and surveillance.

“Every country has the responsibility to look after their

borders and territories,” Anders Dahl, head of Singapore

operations for Saab, said yesterday. “If you look at the

geography of the region, that is very complicated.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is in Singapore this

weekend as the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat after a

collision with a Chinese vessel increases tension in Asia. China

has been pressing territorial claims against Japan and the
Philippines, two U.S. allies, and Vietnam, a former American foe

that now welcomes U.S. military visits.

The U.S. has “a huge interest” in keeping sea lanes in

the region open for commerce, Hagel told reporters on board a

military aircraft on his way to Singapore. Hagel said he planned

to discuss the South China Sea tensions in “some specific

terms” and sees areas where China is “overplaying its hand.”

Chinese Drilling

China’s deployment of a drilling rig near the contested

Paracel Islands sparked violent protests in Vietnam this month

and led China to send ships to evacuate workers from the country

after three Chinese nationals were killed. It spurred

confrontations between coast guard vessels, including the use of

water cannons and accusations of boats being rammed. China says

the rig is in its territory and that it has long drilled in the

area.

The U.S. has urged the Association of Southeast Asian

Nations and China to agree on a code of conduct for the South

China Sea and called China’s actions “provocative” after the

clashes with Vietnam. Even nations that have kept out of the

territorial disputes are now being drawn in, with Indonesia

noting China’s “nine-dash line” map, which covers a large part

of the South China Sea, touches on waters in its Riau province.

To contact the reporter on this story:

Kyunghee Park in Singapore at

kpark3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:

Anand Krishnamoorthy at

anandk@bloomberg.net

Jim McDonald

Boeing, Saab See Surveillance Plane Demand Rising Across Asia

Funky Friday: You May Catch A Fever At the Hotel Re! Singapore

Funky Friday / Singapore Hotels / Hotel Re! / John Travolta / → All Tags

Funky Friday: You May Catch A Fever At the Hotel Re! Singapore

Where: 175A Chin Swee Raod, Singapore, 169879

Welcome to Funky Friday, a new segment were trying out which features one photo that we think singularly expresses a hotels inner psyche. We look for, and often find, a lot of wacky, wild and wondrous designs that seem to have one thing in common: a Type A personality. So why not have a bit of fun as we all wrap up our week by taking a quick look at some hotels that quite frankly, want our attention.

Hotel Re! in Singapore is a modern retro boutique hotel that just cant get enough of the 60s and 70s, and the pop culture that shaped this unique and irreplaceable era. One of the hotels most obvious features is an all-star line-up of icons of TV, film and music. From The Fab Four, to Charlies Angels, to classic James Bond each is represented in recognizable silhouette imagery. This hotel is entirely funky, any space of which would make a fitting Funky Friday segment. We admit the decision was tough, but for this week we are going with the one that just makes us feel like dancing–the famous shadow of disco dude John Travolta from the cult film Saturday Night Fever.

Hotel Re! is alive with all the great colors and graphics of the 60s and 70s, electric raspberry being a favorite. The interiors feature the ever-popular white plastic chairs of the period and glossy, vinyl upholstered seating. Walls are covered in groovy, reflective wallpaper in all kinds of psychedelic patterns. Austin Powers would feel right at home.

Funky Friday: You May Catch A Fever At the Hotel Re! Singapore

Singapore Home Prices May Fall More: Standard Chartered

Singapore’s home prices will probably fall further before the housing curbs introduced in the past five years are scaled back, Standard Chartered Plc (STAN)’s Southeast Asia head said.

“You would start to take away some of these measures if price growth reaches a certain level of equilibrium,” Lim Cheng Teck, chief executive officer for Asean or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said in an interview in Singapore yesterday. “I don’t think we are at an equilibrium yet.”

The city’s private home prices dropped by the most in almost five years following a campaign that started in 2009 to curb property market speculation, with government curbs ranging from taxes on property sales, additional levies on foreign buyers and mortgage limits.

Lim declined to predict how much of a downside he expects for home prices before housing measures would be lifted. Monetary Authority of Singapore Managing Director Ravi Menon said on May 24 that the property measures may not be permanent and will only be used from time to time, the Business Times reported, citing a speech.

Under Singapore’s loan framework, lenders must consider a borrower’s total debt when granting mortgages, the Monetary Authority, which is the central bank, said last year. A borrower’s loan repayments, including mortgages, shouldn’t exceed 60 percent of income, based on the policy guidelines.

Private yachts are berthed outside luxury homes and condominium apartments at Sentosa Cove in Singapore. Photograph: Munshi Ahmed via Bloomberg Close

Private yachts are berthed outside luxury homes and condominium apartments at Sentosa… Read More

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Private yachts are berthed outside luxury homes and condominium apartments at Sentosa Cove in Singapore. Photograph: Munshi Ahmed via Bloomberg

Too Early

“It’s still too early to remove curbs,” said Donald Han, managing director of Chesterton Singapore Pte, a real estate consulting company. “The government will monitor but their fingers won’t be pressing any buttons at this point in time.”

Some developers that have cut prices by 10 percent to 15 percent are drawing buyers, he said.

Lim’s outlook mirrors those of CapitaLand Ltd. (CAPL), Singapore’s biggest developer, which said in February that the government may start easing some of its property measures if home prices drop between 5 percent and 10 percent this year. Some curbs that were introduced were for the “short term,” such as stamp duties or taxes for homebuyers, CEO Lim Ming Yan said in an interview at the time.

An index tracking private residential prices fell 1.3 percent in the first quarter, following a 0.9 percent drop from a record in the previous three months, according to government data. The latest decline is the largest since June 2009.

Declining home sales also eased demand for housing loans. Mortgages increased just 7.9 percent in March, the slowest pace since June 2007, according to central bank data.

Photographer: Munshi Ahmed/Bloomberg

A man walks past a billboard advertising CapitaLand Ltd.’s Bedok Residences in Singapore. CapitaLand, Singapore’s biggest developer, said in February that the government may start easing some of its property measures if home prices drop between 5 percent and 10 percent this year. Close

A man walks past a billboard advertising CapitaLand Ltd.’s Bedok Residences in… Read More

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Photographer: Munshi Ahmed/Bloomberg

The curbs “really prevented the bubble from forming,” Standard Chartered’s Lim said. “This downward adjustment in prices is not a very drastic and sharp drop. That would add to the stability of the market.”

Elsewhere in the region, Lim said the “big growth markets” for the bank are Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. Standard Chartered, which employs 30,000 people in Southeast Asia, is “keen to participate” in the Myanmar banking sector when it’s opened to foreign lenders, he said. The bank has a representative office in Yangon.

To contact the reporters on this story: Sanat Vallikappen in Singapore at vallikappen@bloomberg.net; Pooja Thakur in Singapore at pthakur@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chitra Somayaji at csomayaji@bloomberg.net; Andreea Papuc at apapuc1@bloomberg.net Linus Chua, Colin Keatinge

Singapore Home Prices May Fall More: Standard Chartered

Half of Hotels.com"s ad dollars will go to digital - Campaign Asia

Mobile will be a big part of the Expedia company’s marketing and brand advertising this year—so much so that digital spend will account for about 50 per cent of its ad budget.

“I’m not discounting traditional media,” said Katherine Cole, the company’s regional director. “We’re just not increasing our spend there.”

In line with that, Hotels.com has launched download campaigns (prompting people to download its app) and banner advertisements. The firm is also promoting its app with television campaigns—either to demonstrate how to use it or to just let people know about it. This will play out in new TVCs for Hong Kong and Taiwan, which should appear in the next two weeks. The company is also increasing spend on social media. Hotels.com made another small but important change when it tweaked its format to remember customers’ details.

“It’s where the growth is and it’s where our customers are,” said Cole. For Hotels.com, 20 per cent of bookings across the region come through mobile devices and 70 per cent of those are same-day bookings. Japan, Australia and Indonesia are strong mobile markets within Asia, while Singapore lags behind. Since Singapore is not at the same stage yet, Cole has commissioned some brand research before launching a campaign there.

The regional director is also keen to spread word about the firm’s loyalty programme. Despite strong penetration globally, awareness is a relatively low in this region, Cole admits. That’s why new campaigns focus on how consumers can make the most of the rewards programme. In Japan, for instance, the company recently launched a TVC featuring cute pug dogs as bellboys to promote its loyalty programme. Similarly, Australia uses local comedian Sam Simmons to push the same programme.

Hotels.com has grown to a community of 290,000 bookable properties on the site, and 25 million people have downloaded its application. There are about 85 localised sites in 35 languages and 10 million reward members. Leisure travel accounts for about 90 per cent of the company’s revenue, while business makes up 10 per cent.

Cole says APAC is the fastest growing region in the world with strong growth across every single market. She also observed that China is the biggest opportunity for both outbound and inbound travel.

She isn’t too worried about competition from players such as Agoda, Tripadvisor or Airbnb. The latter recently launched its first global campaign (in Asia the campaign runs across Singapore, South Korea, Japan and China). “Everyone has a different product offering so I’m not overly concerned,” she said noting that customers are constantly looking for different experiences. “The travel market is exploding and there is plenty of room for growth.”

Half of Hotels.com"s ad dollars will go to digital - Campaign Asia

Alibaba agrees $249m deal for 10% of Singapore Post

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Alibaba agrees $249m deal for 10% of Singapore Post

Darwin Airport shuts and flight chaos across Australia feared as Indonesia"s ...

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A volcanic eruption in Indonesia has sent ash clouds towards Australia, shutting down Darwin airport and disrupting travel around the country.

Up, up, up and now coming Down Under … Mount Sangeang Api spews smoke and ash in this shot taken from the window of a passing commercial flight by professional photographer Sofyan Efendi. The volcano is one of 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Picture: Barcroft Media/Splash News
Source: Supplied

FLIGHTS around Australia this weekend have been disrupted after a major volcanic eruption in Indonesia sent an ash cloud barreling into our skies.

The impact could last for days, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss has warned, and could hit other airports beyond Darwin, which is already closed.

The cloud is spreading south towards Alice Springs.

“Depending on wind and other weather conditions, the ash has the potential to affect flights to and from other airports, including Brisbane, during coming days. This is currently being fully assessed,” Mr Truss said.

The cloud has come from Mount Sangeang Api, a volcano off the northeast coast of the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, which blew late Friday and is continuing to discharge debris with further eruptions.

Towering inferno … an aerial shot by photographer Sofyan Efendi shows the terrifing majesty of the ash cloud. Picture: Barcroft Media/Splash News
Source: Supplied

Airservices Australia, the nation’s air navigation authority, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Bureau of Meteorology are all investigating the cloud, Mr Truss said.

“Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for further information.”

While early indications were that Sydney and Brisbane would not be badly affected, experts warned that could change as the volcano has not yet finished erupting.

Airservices Australia has begun diverting international flights around the ash cloud.

WHEN WILL FLIGHTS RESUME?

It depends on whether further volcanic eruptions in Indonesia amplify an already huge intercontinental plume of ash, an expert says.

Sangeang Api, a volcano off the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, has erupted three times since Friday afternoon.

The volcano is about 300km east of the eastern tip of Java and about 1200km west-northwest of Darwin.

The manager of the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre at the Bureau of Meteorology in Darwin, Emile Jansons, said the cloud was dispersing as it spread south but the situation could change at any time. He said there was a “pretty clear” stream of ash from the volcano across the Timor Sea, flowing west of Darwin and southeast to Alice Springs.

“If there is a big eruption in the next six to 12 hours, longer effect is more likely across Australia,” he told AAP.

Strong winds within a narrow jet stream had carried the ash at up to 150km/h towards central Australia but the ash was dissipating, he said.

“The ash that is west of Darwin will affect Darwin for the next 18 hours, so it looks likely to hang around for a day or so. “Regional aviation to places like Kununurra and even Derby (in Western Australia) may be affected but in terms of larger international airports only Darwin is affected.” The jet stream will move east over the 24 hours, changing wind direction and helping to further dissipate the ash, unless another large eruption spews more into the air.

The ash near Darwin is in a band between 10km and 15km in the air – the cruising altitude for commercial jet aircraft.

WHY IS VOLCANIC DUST DANGEROUS?

Volcanic ash can affect all aircraft with piston or jet engines at all flight levels, CASA warned. Fine particles of pulverised rock consisting mainly of silica contained in volcanic ash clouds can be highly abrasive and damage aircraft engines, structures and windows.

“Commercial air operators and private pilots planning to fly in this area should conduct a safety risk assessment before any flights,” a spokesman said.

“CASA recommends flights are not conducted into areas with visible volcanic ash clouds. Flights into areas with low levels of ash contamination should only be conducted after a safety risk assessment has been carried out.”

However the decision whether or not to fly is a safety and economic decision that rests with individual airlines.

Ring of fire … another of Indonesia’s volcanoes, Mount Merapi, spews lava and ash in 2006.
Source: AP

The manager of the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre at the Bureau of Meteorology in Darwin, Emile Jansons, earlier said the cloud is dispersing as it spreads south.

“It is continuing to disperse but it is moving very rapidly — at 70 to 80 knots (130 to 150km/h) — towards Alice Springs,” Mr Jansons said. “There is a very strong jet stream so the boundary (of the cloud) may come further south.”

While it is a “fairly sizeable eruption”, Mr Jansons told the Northern Territory News that the cloud here would be invisible to the naked eye.

“The volcano has been erupting to 15km in the air,” he said. “It has moved across the Kimberley and western Top End. It’s high in the atmosphere so there won’t be any ashfall different to normal bushfire ashfall.”

He said there should be negligable impact on the air quality and said adverse health effects were unlikely.

STRANDED OVERSEAS AS BALI AND SINGAPORE FLIGHTS HALTED

Qantas and Virgin Australia confirmed all their flights to and from Darwin have been cancelled, including some overseas.

“Because of the impact of the volcano we have cancelled all flights today on our schedule to and from Darwin,” Virgin Australia spokeswoman Jacqui Abbott said.

“Our meteorologists are monitoring the situation and are consulting with the (volcanic ash) advisory centre in Darwin and we will renew normal operations as the situation allows.”

Qantas Group spokeswoman Kira Reed said cancellations also affect all Qantas flights to and from Darwin on Saturday and Jetstar’s Cairns-Darwin and Darwin-Cairns flights — plus its Darwin-Adelaide service and its Darwin-Bali, Bali-Darwin, Singapore-Darwin and Darwin-Singapore flights.

The Northern Territory News reports that while there is no official announcement yet, word on the ground at Darwin Airport is most flights will be cancelled until Monday.

PICTURE SPECIAL: The stunning beauty of an erupting giant

Not the first time … ash from this Chilean eruption in 2011 disrupted flights in Australia and elsewhere.
Source: News Limited

Asked to look into his crystal ball to get an end date, Mr Jansons said: “It continues to erupt — it’s still going up right now — but how long it’ll go I don’t know”.

“They tend to stop after a day or two so it’s unlikely to reach the east coast.

“It’s almost reached Tennant Creek in the south. It won’t get to Brisbane or Sydney.”

Sangeang Api is 1373km northwest of Darwin, roughly halfway between Bali and Timor.

This is not the first time an exploding volcano overseas has disrupted air traffic Down Under.

One of the most memorable was the Chilean eruption in 2011 that caused chaos here and in other countries.

The Indonesian volcano causing the current problem is a regular menace.

It is believed to have erupted at least 17 times since 1512, with the last eruption recorded in 1999.

The island of Sangeang Api has no permanent residents after they vacated the area in 1985.

Volcanos are prevalent across Indonesia, as part of the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire”. A number of people were killed during an eruption in East Java in February.

Darwin Airport shuts and flight chaos across Australia feared as Indonesia"s ...

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Japan"s Abe lauds benefits of casinos during Singapore trip

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said casino resorts could become a pillar of his country’s future economic growth as he toured Singapore’s two lavish gaming venues on Friday.

Abe, who until now has remained silent on the issue of casinos, gave a strong endorsement to legislation that would legalize casino gambling in Japan.

“I think integrated resorts will be a key part of Japan’s economic growth strategy,” he was quoted by Japanese media as saying.

Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, is considering allowing casino gambling to boost tourism and attract investment.

The country is widely seen as a prize market for casino operators due to its affluent population of 128 million and its close proximity to wealthy Asian gamblers in the region.

Abe visited the Marina Bay Sands, a three-tower resort on the Singapore waterfront owned by U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands LVS.N, surprising tourists sunning themselves by the infinity pool on the rooftop as he appeared in a suit with members of the media in tow.

He then headed to Resorts World on Sentosa island, owned by Genting Singapore GENS.SI.

Abe, who was visiting Singapore to deliver a speech at a regional defense conference, said he hoped Japanese lawmakers would carefully consider the benefits casino resorts could bring.

“I would like them to deliberate with a perspective on what needs to be done to bolster Japan’s attractiveness, and how to get people to visit,” Japanese media quoted him as saying.

KEEN INVESTORS

Japan has been deliberating on opening casinos for more than a decade but the chances now seem higher than previously.

While parliament is unlikely to pass a bill in the current parliament session which ends next month, proponents are aiming to pass one in the extraordinary session in the autumn, political and industry sources said on Friday.

“It’s logistically difficult for it to pass in the current session,” said one political source, adding that he and other supporters of the bill were still hoping to start parliamentary debate next month.

“I would say it’s highly likely to pass in the fall.”

The same source saw little likelihood that legislation would be delayed until next year, which could leave too little time to build the resorts in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

But Toru Mihara, a professor at Osaka University of Commerce, said that was a possibility with some politicians still in opposition.

“In the worst case, it will be next year. We need to be prepared for that,” he said.

If the current bill passes, debate will move on to a second bill concerning concrete regulations, which proponents hope can be passed in 2016.

International casino companies including Las Vegas Sands, Genting, MGM Resorts MGM.N and Melco Crown Entertainment 6883.HK have all been trying to position themselves ahead of the bill passing.

Genting Singapore has set up eight subsidiaries in Japan for investment holding, leisure and related businesses, the company said on Tuesday in a notice to the Singapore stock exchange.

Adelson has said he would spend $10 billion on developing a casino resort while rivals have announced investment of around $5 billion for a casino in either Tokyo or Osaka. (Full Story)

Singapore’s two integrated resorts, which combine casinos with dining, entertainment, and convention businesses, are the preferred model Japan would emulate, lawmakers have said.

Marina Bay Sands, which cost $5.4 billion, has helped to boost convention business in Singapore, while Resorts World Sentosa, which houses a Universal Studios theme park and a large aquarium, has helped Singapore to lure record numbers of tourists since opening in 2010.

Industry executives have said in private that a Marina Bay Sands-type resort, near Singapore’s financial district, would be a good fit for Tokyo while a more leisure-focused resort like Sentosa would be better suited to Osaka or a regional city.

(Writing by Farah Master in Hong Kong and Rachel Armstrong in Singapore; Additional reporting by Yoshiyuki Osada in Osaka and Masayuki Kitano in Singapore; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan/Nick Macfie/Susan Fenton)

Japan"s Abe lauds benefits of casinos during Singapore trip

Light rail a grand vision, but can it stack up?

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It uses “passenger intensity” as a measure of viability – with a minimum intensity (passenger kilometres per kilometre of line) of 4000 considered the threshold. As it stands, intensity figures go nowhere near that threshold only finally getting there once you take into account the impact of massive development in the corridor. Without all that development, only the city to Exhibition Park sector of the rail line appears to yap at the heels of the magic threshold number by 2031. As soon as you add in the extra 9km to Gungahlin, or the extension of the lake to the Parliamentary Triangle, the intensity figure drops off (since you’re increasing the distance of the line proportionately more than you’re increasing passenger numbers).

But the passenger numbers and intensity figures in the draft rapid-business case are difficult to understand: the commentary doesn’t always appear to match the tables of numbers; and the tables of numbers don’t always appear to add up. Which means one of three things: someone has fiddled the figures to produce a bogus document in some double-blind, motivationally obscure machiavellian plot; this reporter needs a lesson in using a calculator; or this is a working draft in which the numbers are still being massaged and checked. Even attempting a Nate Silver-style Bayesian assessment of the probability of these options, and keeping in mind a gentle government reminder that these things are put together by top accounting firms like Ernst Young, which don’t make adding-up mistakes, I still can’t decide which option is more likely. But the slipperiness in the numbers is not comforting whichever way you look at it.

The leaking of this document, and of other damaging information – like the consideration of a levy to fund the project – will be worrying for the government. As will the fact that opposition and agitation is coming from people who are not, on the whole, political opponents. They’re people close to the project who don’t like the way the figures are adding up and the way the government’s budget is heading. They’re people from within Labor and the Greens, who don’t like the massive ongoing expense that light rail entails, and who don’t like one of the leading models to pay for it – a public-private partnership, which removes the project from the public books and from public scrutiny, while committing ratepayers to paying for the tram line with annual contributions from the budget for many years to come. The Labor government and Shane Rattenbury, the Green whose vote keeps the government in power, are upsetting their own constituency on this one.

For Sustainable Development Minister Simon Corbell, there will be no backing down, declaring his determination to stay the course on light rail last week.

Treasurer Andrew Barr is also aglow with the scale of the challenge and the enormity of investment he is charged with drumming up. He’s off to Singapore and Hong Kong in June to get lenders and investors on board for this and other projects, and shares with Corbell a grandness and fearlessness in his vision.

This pair lead the visionary, ambitious charge in the ACT government (in another extraordinarily big-thinking project, Corbell is also setting about a program of wind and solar and bio-energy projects to convert the city almost entirely to green energy), while Chief Minister Katy Gallagher is left sounding less than convincing when she assures us “we’re going to be sensible with this project, we’re not going to be silly”. She did demonstrate her willingness to back down on a plan when she called an 11^th hour halt to Corbell’s fast-track planning laws in May, but as Corbell declares that “work and effort and determination and a willingness to stay the course” are necessary to realise projects on this scale, you can’t help but think the horse might have bolted on light rail, so that even the Chief Minister will struggle to rein it in.

Assuming the draft rapid-business case figures are genuine, albeit in draft, one thing is clear: you don’t get the passenger numbers you need without a transformation of Northbourne Avenue with huge commercial development and a lot more people living there – including turning Exhibition Park into a major hub of apartments and big business. Even then, the magic passenger numbers are in 2031, which is 15 years after the first sod is turned, and 12 years after the tram line takes its first passenger.

The transformation envisaged by the Capital Metro agency is nothing short of extraordinary.

It wants the government to prioritise the corridor, and make decisions “that deliberately favour it over other precincts across the ACT”. It wants a special development unit set up to oversee development in the corridor over 30-plus years.

It wants nine development hubs, two of them – Dickson and Exhibition Park – accelerated for a quick decision. Here they are:

The city and city north (two zones): More infilling, and a major retail centre, underground car parking and residential apartments in a location between London Circuit and Parkes Way – linking the rail line with the City to the Lake development. It envisages scope for 1250 apartments over 50,000 square metres in this zone.

Macarthur: A zone that covers the Northbourne Flats public housing with “clear attractions” for a Capital Metro station. Northbourne Flats cover 36,000 square metres, and could yield 900 apartments, the rapid business case says, but notes that ripping them down would mean building public housing elsewhere, substantially reducing the net profit in the process.

Dickson: A podium building, with underground car parking including “park and ride”, a tram station, retail and office space on the lower levels and apartments higher up. Retail could include cinemas. A thousand apartments are envisaged here.

“Sporting zone”: Home to Southwell Park, the sporting buildings behind, and the Yowani pond area, bordered by Ellenborough Street, Lyneham, and the Barton Highway. The rapid business case envisages a park and ride facility here to bring Belconnen residents in on the tram. ”It should be noted that racecourses all around Australia are currently undergoing significant changes to their land uses in order to pay for significant capital works programs,” it said. “It is no longer acceptable to allow large parcels of land to sit idle for the majority of the time.”

Exhibition Park and the racecourse: The site of a “suburban business park”, which could include “hotel or service accommodation, private hospitals, place of worship (e.g. Hillsong), and indoor recreation facilities”, the report says, pointing to the Norwest business park in Sydney as an example. It envisages 2500 apartments here.

Mitchell: Could be rezoned to include “medium-grade hotel or serviced apartments (such as Ibis or Mercure brands)”, which would be attractive for families, long-stay workers, school groups, people visiting the cemetery and crematorium, and people accessing the possible “private hospital or recreational facilities” envisaged for Exhibition Park.

Gungahlin fringe: With new homes already being built here, the full business case is looking at the market’s appetite to deliver still more apartments and townhouses. Plus this could be the site for “pockets of public housing within master-planned projects”.

Gungahlin town centre: The full business case will look at the appetite for more apartments and townhouses here as well, with the aim of creating “counter-flow movements” – tram trips not just into the city for work, but towards Gungahlin.

The rapid business case also offers insights into the process of making a project stack up. It says the previous business case on this project, in January last year, will be “enhanced” with the release of the full business case in the coming months. The updated business case will add car parking levies to the mix (which persuade more people on to public transport) to “enhance the robustness of the analysis”. It will consider staging and extending the route to improve the numbers (although the government quickly scotched the idea of staging the line to Gungahlin, saying the city to Gungahlin line will be built in one hit).

It will update population and jobs forecasts in the corridor in light of an aggressive (termed “active” by Capital Metro) development program. “Land activation” was likely to result in a higher benefit-cost ratio than in the previous business case, the draft said.

The full business case will also improve “benefit calculations”, “which currently disfavour public transport (and particularly light rail) by failing to capture comfort and convenience benefits”. Public transport invariably takes longer than travelling by car, the report commented, and the previous business case treated the increased journey time as a negative. But if people are attracted out of their cars by better public transport “they must be better off”.

The full business case will update the cost of the project from the early figure of $614 million. And it will take into account new parking charges, the potential for park and ride sites, and the impact of the new Majura highway on the light-rail line.

Plus it will take into account “wider economic benefits”, which the draft document suggests could increase the benefit side of the equation by 10 per cent to 20 per cent.

So you can expect a business case that paints a far rosier picture than we have seen to date about the viability and benefits of a light-rail line. Which will no doubt fuel the cynicism of the doubters, but will at least give the government something to hold up as backing its claims about the transformational power and enormous benefits of the Gungahlin tram line. Assuming it is released.