Far East Hospitality presents its inaugural Far East Heritage Festival 2013 to celebrate the Singapore story

SINGAPORE – The inaugural Far East Heritage Festival 2013 is set to bring travellers and locals on a journey through the Singapore story via informative and experiential trails at popular, centrally-located leisure spots. The heritage-rich urban adventure runs from 19 July to 18 September 2013 and is expected to attract 20,000 participants.

Bringing to life the culture and heritage of Singapore, the Festival is Far East Hospitality’s latest initiative to connect both travellers and locals with authentic elements from Singapore’s yesteryear. As part of the festival period, participants who book their hotel or residence stay between 19 July and 18 August can also join specially-designed festival trails to sample local food and play traditional games. From personalised experiences to guided tours, guests will be able to immerse in specially-designed activities that are available only for the month. They can also redeem a dual-purpose bag worth SGD98 at the hotel stay after collecting two stamps from any three Trail stops.

 The trail experience will cover cultural activities and sights at the Indian and Malay enclaves of Little India and Kampong Glam, the street dining experience of the former Glutton’s Square, and a walk down memory lane on Singapore’s postal system.

Said Mr Arthur Kiong, Far East Hospitality’s Chief Executive Officer, “As a home-grown operator and Singapore’s largest operator of hotels and residences, we believe in taking the lead to share Singapore’s success story. With our unique style of Singapore-inspired hospitality, we hope that more travellers and locals can rediscover or be introduced to our country’s past and present. The first-ever Far East Heritage Festival is our way of thanking our guests, whether they are foreigners or locals.”

Guests can experience the Far East Heritage Festival 2013 when they book their stay directly at www.stayfareast.com/heritage with any of the 16 Far East Hospitality hotels and residences in Singapore during the two month period. To incentivise participation in the Festival, guests will receive a Festival Heritage passport and be rewarded with SGD80 cash vouchers to spend at Orchard Central with every room booking.

Highlights of itineraries participants can enjoy include:

    The art of parrot astrology, one of the vanishing trades in Singapore. Ink yourself with a unique motif the traditional way with the help of a henna art artist, and join a multi-sensory guided tour of the area.  Venue: Village Hotel Albert Court (Passport Stamp Stop)
     Hop onto a guided tour of the famous eclectic neighbourhood in the Bugis area. From Malay heritage sites to hidden fashion finds in Haji Lane, every step is a surprise along this shopping and cultural walk. Venue: Village Hotel Bugis
    Be transported back in time to Glutton’s Square, one of the famous dining streets of Singapore back in the 70s. While the area is now home to a sparkling new modern mall, have a taste of the nostalgic past, learn more about the history, and even strike a pose with some of the props available as you take a breather from your shopping spree. Venue: Orchard Central ($80 cash voucher redemption and Passport Stamp Stop)
    Send a note back to your loved ones the traditional way with paper and pen. Step into a gallery of an iconic building that used to house Singapore’s General Post Office. Try out games that were popular decades ago at a pop-up Mamak Shop (convenience shop). Guests can also enjoy traditional snacks like roasted nuts and beans more commonly known as “Kacang Puteh”, or “white beans” in Malay. Venue: The Fullerton Heritage Gallery @ The Fullerton Hotel (Passport Stamp Stop)

 
Far East Heritage Trail
Participants of the Far East Heritage Trail during the Festival’s first month will be equipped with a Heritage Passport with a suggested itinerary for an urban self-guided tour, as well as SGD80 cash vouchers at Orchard Central, one of the latest shopping malls at the heart of the Orchard Road shopping belt. Every room booking will be entitled to one Heritage Passport and SGD80 worth of cash vouchers. Shoppers will be able to redeem the vouchers at various participating outlets at Orchard Central, ranging from fashion, tech gadgets, novelty items and dining.
 
 
A Festival and Adventure – Experience more of Singapore
Held in conjunction with the Singapore HeritageFest 2013, the Far East Heritage Festival 2013 is supported by the National Heritage Board and the Singapore Tourism Board.
 
“We are excited that a new partner has joined the Singapore HeritageFest by launching their own version of a heritage festival. Such partnerships and ownership by the community helps us to make heritage accessible to more audiences. We welcome this initiative and look forward to participating in this inaugural event,” said Ms Angelita Teo, Director, Festivals & Precinct Development, National Heritage Board.
 
“As we reach out more to increasingly discerning consumers with ever-changing needs and expectations, it is essential that hoteliers constantly evolve by offering interesting product and experiences to stay relevant and to build customer loyalty. We are thus heartened to see Far East Hospitality embark on this initiative to create and deliver both a differentiated and enhanced experience for their hotel guests, contributing to the unique and compelling story that Singapore has to share as a destination,” added Ms Heng Li Lang, Director, Hotels, Singapore Tourism Board.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews