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Entertainment superstars from East and West, including Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Paula Abdul and Vicki Zhao Wei, as well as many of Singapore's very own local artistes, have formed part of the grand opening events at Universal Studios Singapore.

Held today (Saturday 28th May), the opening celebrations were highlighted by a gala ceremony at the signature 21-metre tall arch entrance of Universal Studios Singapore, featuring a character procession of the theme park's worldrenowned resident stars.

Already billed as Southeast Asia's principal theme park, Universal Studios Singapore showcases 21 rides and shows with globally-popular themes such as the world's first Madagascar-themed ride, Madagascar: A Crate Adventure; Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure; Shrek 4-D Adventure; Revenge of the Mummy; and the Battlestar Galactica rollercoaster.

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), the integrated resort site for Universal Studios Singapore, has also announced a new forecast of 16 million visitors for the year 2011, up from 15 million in 2010.

Universal Studios Singapore, which began trading in March 2010, is expected to welcome four million visitors, double its attendance within its nine months of opening in 2010.

Over the same period of time, Universal Studios Singapore hosted over 115,000 delegates from across the world participating in 96 private events, and also delighted over 1,500 children from needy families from both Singapore and neighboring Malaysia.

Universal Studios Singapore is staffed by 3,450 team members, who form nearly one third of the 13,000-strong workforce at RWS. Theme park management is a brand new industry in Singapore and, with the development of Universal Studios Singapore, the Resort has helped shape government-driven theme park training courses, transforming the tourism landscape of Singapore.

Universal Parks & Resorts Chairman and Chief Executive Tom Williams explains that the "grand opening marks a very special day, not just for Universal Studios Singapore, but for all of Singapore, as your country positions itself as a world-class tourism and entertainment destination for all its residents as well as millions of international guests.

"We're proud to be a keystone feature of Resorts World Sentosa and welcome Universal Studios Singapore to the growing family of Universal Studios parks and resorts worldwide. We look forward to being a part of the continued success, development and growth of Singapore's burgeoning travel and tourism industry."

Ongoing development at the theme park will include the opening of a Transformers ride later this year while three new attractions are planned for 2013.

Meanwhile, RWS is "on track" to open the second phase of its integrated resort, which includes a maritime museum, an aquarium and a marine life park.

On Friday, Chairman of the Genting Group and RWS, Lim Kok Thay, advised that the attractions will open progressively from the third quarter, starting with the maritime museum, while the marine life park, set to be one of the largest wildlife parks in the world, is scheduled to open its doors to guests in mid-2012. The structure of a fifth hotel, Equarius, has also been completed.

Lim said he is open to more land acquisition opportunities for the expansion of RWS, stating "more land is always better. But then you're talking about Singapore, where land like in Hong Kong, is at a premium. A theme park like this is always land-hungry. So obviously the more rides, the larger the park, you'll need more land."

Resorts World Sentosa is Singapore's first integrated resort is located on the resort island of Sentosa. Spanning 49 hectares, the resort is home to the region's first-and-only Universal Studios theme park, a casino, luxurious accommodation in four unique hotels, the Resorts World Convention Centre, celebrity chef restaurants as well as specialty retail outlets. 

Images: Universal Studios' Jurassic Park (top) and the attraction's logo (below).

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