No formal talks held on more land for MBS: Govt

SINGAPORE — Government agencies have not formally discussed expansion plans for the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort with parent company Las Vegas Sands, despite a claim last week by billionaire Sheldon Adelson, the American casino giant’s founder and Chairman.

“The STB has not received a formal proposal from Marina Bay Sands regarding the acquisition of land sites,” a spokeswoman for the Singapore Tourism Board said yesterday.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the main land sales agent for the Government, said its officials had not met Mr Adelson recently.

“The release of land in Marina Bay under the Government Land Sales programme will be paced according to the ongoing infrastructure work in the Marina Bay area, our overall development plans for Singapore and projection of market demand,” the URA added.

There are vacant sites next to Marina Bay Sands, but the Government has not yet released any of the land for tender by developers or indicated when it might do so.

Las Vegas Sands, the world’s biggest casino operator, plans to add 1,500 rooms to its 2,563-room Marina Bay Sands, where occupancy is close to 100 per cent, Mr Adelson said last Thursday in Singapore. It will also add meeting rooms, ballrooms and exhibition spaces to the US$6 billion (S$7.6 billion) casino resort and largest hotel in Singapore when the Government releases more land, he said.

Marina Bay Sands, opened in 2010, “has been a catalyst for enormous tourism growth”, said Mr Adelson, who said he had met government officials and repeated his request for more land.

Room revenue at Marina Bay Sands rose 11 per cent to US$360.3 million last year. Despite an average daily room rate of US$396, it enjoyed an occupancy rate of 98.6 per cent. In comparison, hotels in Singapore filled 86.3 per cent of their rooms last year, data from the STB showed.

CHANNEL NEWSASIA WITH AGENCIES