Kiwi adventure tourism pioneer AJ Hackett has opened a major tourism venture in Singapore’s Sentosa Island.
AJ Hackett Sentosa was officially opened by the New Zealand High Commissioner, His Excellency Dr Jonathan Edward Austin, in a formal ceremony.
The highly-anticipated $SGD13 million (approx. NZD$13.9 million) development comprises a 47-metre Bungy Jump, two Giant Swings, a Vertical Skywalk and a Skybridge vertigo experience, as well as a restaurant and bar in a purpose-built tower.
AJ Hackett International founder and chief executive officer AJ Hackett says he is delighted to have had Dr Austin officially open the development, which has taken more than six years to complete and is the first of its kind in Singapore.
“Having the New Zealand High Commissioner of Singapore open this new site was a perfect fit for us as we started the company 29 years ago in New Zealand and have built the company around the adventurous New Zealand ethos,” he says.
The opening ceremony was an exciting event featuring a traditional Chinese lion dance with choreographed audio-visual Bungy Jumping, Giant Swing and Vertical Skywalk exhibitions. The celebration served as an introduction to what AJ Hackett Sentosa will bring to Singapore in the future.
“We are very happy to finally be open and able to give Singapore locals and tourists the experience of their life,” adds Hackett. “This project has been one of the more challenging sites we have built but the end result is something very special. That’s why our general managers from our New Zealand, Australia, Macau, France, Indonesia and Russian AJ Hackett sites have flown in so they too can celebrate with us.”
This year has been an extraordinary year for AJ Hackett International – in addition to Singapore, the innovative company is currently spearheading bungy and adventure tourism projects in China and Russia as part of a multimillion dollar international expansion. It also marks the 30th anniversary since Hackett introduced the world to commercial bungy jumping by sensationally leaping off the Eiffel Tower in 1987, and earlier this year Hackett himself was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
