Regional Update - Asia-Pacific | March/April 2021
Dinosaurs Rule Singapore’s Changi Airport
Make no mistake: Dinosaurs are definitely in vogue at Singapore’s Changi Airport, both inside and out. At the Changi Festive Village, some visitors raced dino go-karts outside Terminal 4, while others learned to program and fly drones—above miniature dinosaurs—at the Changi Experience Studio inside the Jewel shopping center.
Alongside a new, year-round cycling and jogging path named the Changi Jurassic Mile—that connects the airport with a national network of fitness trails—life-size dinosaurs tower over visitors. Featuring nine species and 20 prehistoric creatures, including new hatchlings emerging from their eggs, the exhibit is the country’s largest permanent outdoor dinosaur display.
While the dinosaur attractions are initially targeting Singapore’s domestic market, Jayson Goh, the airport’s managing director of operations, notes that Changi is also experimenting “with new tourism products that can be relevant for incoming tourists when travel recovers.”
changiairport.com, changifestivevillage.com, jewelchangiairport.com
Australian Museum Reopens After Major Renovation
Reopened following a 15-month closure, the historic Australian Museum in central Sydney underwent a AU$57.5 million renovation that significantly expanded the exhibition hall. The museum can now host major international exhibits, like “Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family,” which returns to Australia following a five-year tour in North America and Europe. The exhibit features a colossal collection of skeletons, skulls, fossil eggs, and even fossilized dinosaur dung.
“Without doubt, the heart of the museum is the new Grand Hall, which is the length of three tennis courts,” remarks Kim McKay AO, Australian Museum’s director and CEO. “The museum has been completely transformed. All the museum’s public spaces have been renovated, making circulation around the building much easier.”
Over the next year, two new galleries will debut as well. With nearly 22 million cultural objects and scientific specimens, the Australian Museum’s collection is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
