SINGAPORE – Chrome-finished spherical cable car cabins, customised for Singapore Cable Car (SCC), will take passengers between Mount Faber and Sentosa Island from March 20.
These futuristic “balls” with glass-bottomed floors, called SkyOrb cabins, mark yet another world first for the company as it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024.
In 1998, it was the first in the world to launch sky dining in a cable car. The following year, to commemorate its 25th anniversary, it introduced the world’s first glass-bottomed cable car cabins, which offered clear views of the harbour and seascape south of Singapore.
The seven new SkyOrb cabins will join the existing fleet of 67 on the Mount Faber Line connecting Mount Faber and Sentosa Island. They will light up the night sky with the ring of lights around the cabin windows that change colours for different occasions.
Double window louvres at the front and triple window louvres at the rear of the SkyOrb provide enhanced air ventilation. Measuring 2.5m tall and 2.3m wide, each cabin can seat up to six guests.
The SkyOrb is SCC’s fifth generation of cable cars since the attraction was launched in 1974.
It costs an additional $15 per person to ride one way in the SkyOrb on weekdays, and an additional $20 per person on weekends and public holidays. A round-trip Cable Car Sky Pass, inclusive of the Mount Faber Line and Sentosa Line, currently costs $35 for adults and $25 for children on all days.
The SkyOrb cabins will not ply the Sentosa Line, which takes riders only across the island, from Imbiah Lookout station to Siloso Point station.
Ms Grace Fu, Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, officially launched the SkyOrb cabins on the Mount Faber Line on March 15.
“In 2024, tourism is expected to recover to pre-Covid levels, and we expect to welcome up to 16 million visitors to our shores,” she said at the event at Mount Faber Peak.
In 2023, Singapore’s international visitor arrivals reached 13.6 million, buoyed by the return of large-scale events such as the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix and LIV Golf tournament, and the opening of new hotels like Mondrian Singapore Duxton and Pan Pacific Orchard and new attractions like Bird Paradise.
The tourism sector contributes 4 per cent to Singapore’s gross domestic product and employs around 72,000 people, added Ms Fu, who is also Minister for Sustainability and the Environment.
However, Singapore will continue to face headwinds as it looks to become a leading tourist destination, she said. Economic uncertainty continues to put a dampener on travel spending, with less discretionary income spending by consumers. Regional competition will also make it increasingly difficult for Singapore to stand out among its neighbours.
“It is therefore important that we continuously refresh and develop world-class tourism products to remain competitive in the face of strong competition and economic uncertainty,” Ms Fu said.