CHANGI VILLAGE (Development as a tourist resort)

Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for Finance whether it is planned to develop Changi Village as a tourist stopover point in view of its close proximity to the Changi International Airport.

The Minister for Finance (Mr Hon Sui Sen): Mr Speaker, Sir, the answer to the Member for Changi's question is a definite "Yes". The Member would have noticed that Changi Village has been redeveloped into a modern complex consisting of shops, flats, a hawker centre and a market, all set in a landscaped site bordering the sea with a pedestrian mall, bandstand and shady trees.

The Singapore Tourist Promotion Board is organising an East Coast Tour covering visits to Changi Village, Selarang Barracks, Changi Prison, East Coast Lagoon and possibly a visit to a kelong. At Changi Village, tourists will be able to do shopping and enjoy cool drinks and hawkers' food under open-air kiosks. Historical pictures with write-ups of the history of Changi Prison and Selarang Barracks will be sold. Visitors, particularly British and Australian servicemen who have served in Singapore, and their families, may find Changi a nostalgic place worth a visit.