Overnight stays to be allowed on Singapore's southern Lazarus Island from April in eco-friendly 'tiny houses'
SINGAPORE — From April onwards, overnight stays will be allowed on Singapore's southern Lazarus Island, with short-term staycations in eco-friendly "tiny houses" available for booking.
One of the eco-friendly “tiny houses” on Lazarus Island.
SINGAPORE — From April, overnight stays will be allowed on Singapore's southern Lazarus Island, with short-term staycations in eco-friendly "tiny houses" available for booking.
Five of these cabins will be made available on the island, with each between 150 and 170 sqf in size, Mr Alvin Tan announced in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 28).
The Minister of State for Trade and Industry was speaking during a debate for his ministry's budget.
He said that the Tiny Away Escape houses are operated by Singapore company Big Tiny and will be rolled out on the island by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), in collaboration with the Sentosa Development Corporation.
"Sentosa Development Corporation will be making our Lazarus Island a light-touch destination over the next three years, where visitors can experience its rustic charm while minimising its impact to biodiversity and the environment," Mr Tan added.
Apart from their sizes, the houses are also operated sustainably through the use of renewable energy and energy efficient appliances.
The accommodation will be the first of its kind to be built on Lazarus Island, which is a 20-minute ferry ride from Marina South Pier in mainland Singapore.
The island is part of the Southern Islands group, consisting of St John's Island, Kusu Island and Sisters' Islands.
Big Tiny was founded in 2017 and was supported by MTI's Pro-Enterprise Panel under its First Mover Framework, which provides entrepreneurs with innovative ideas a head-start through a direct allocation of public assets, typically land or spaces to testbed ideas, Sentosa Development Corporation said in a statement on Tuesday.
The panel had facilitated the collaboration between Sentosa Development Corporation and Big Tiny for the testbed project at Lazarus Island.
TODAY has reached out to Big Tiny for more information about its initiative.
NEW AMENITIES AND ATTRACTIONS ON LAZARUS ISLAND
Sentosa Development Corporation said that the tiny houses will be "equipped to function in line with sustainable practices to reduce holidaymakers’ carbon footprint".
It will feature:
- Solar energy as its main source of power, with energy-efficient electrical appliances installed to reduce the overall power usage
- A bio-digester that can convert food from waste to compost on-site within 24-hours
- Sustainable composite building materials that are durable and produced from recycled plastic and wood fibre. "At the end of their eventual lifespan, they can be repurposed into composite cladding for the construction of new 'tiny houses'," Sentosa Development Corporation said
Ms Thien Kwee Eng, chief executive officer of Sentosa Development Corporation, said that Big Tiny's initiative is aligned with the company's sustainability goals.
"These unique accommodation units have utilised innovative, sustainable solutions and technologies to allow guests to lower their carbon footprint," she said.
Plans for Lazarus Island do not end with the tiny houses, the company said.
Other amenities and attractions such as a convenience store, overnight glamping experiences and non-motorised water activities at the island will be launched in phases from around June this year.
BOOST TO SERVICES SECTOR, HEARTLAND ENTERPRISES
Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, announced on Tuesday (Feb 28) a plan by the ministry to grow Singapore’s services sector by making them more digitalised and sustainable.
This Services 2030 plan also includes moves to anchor Singapore as a leading hub for businesses, lifestyle and tourism.
For example, for professional services, the refreshed Professional Services Industry Transformation Map will help ensure that Singapore remains a professional services hub.
From 2020 to 2025, the Ministry of Trade and Industry expects the professional services sector to achieve growth of 3 per cent to 4 per cent a year to S$27 billion, and create 3,800 more jobs for professionals, managers, executives and technicians yearly for residents.
Services 2030 also aims to build a strong Singapore workforce and continue to attract global talent, Mr Tan said.
Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, highlighted as well two initiatives to help heartland enterprises, such as retail shops in residential areas:
- Heartlands Go Digital 3.0, which helps these enterprises further digitalise through partnerships such as with institutes of higher learning. The enterprises will deepen their capabilities in areas such as digital marketing, visual merchandising, service excellence and financial management knowledge
- Heartland Innovation and Transformation Programme, which helps enterprises make innovations to boost revenue. For example, it will provide training courses and affordable spaces where these enterprises may try out product or business model innovations
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