The Merlion has matured upon the shoreline of the Singapore River since 1972. At the Merlion Park, the 40 tonne human being
sprouts an continual jet of water from its oral cavity. Why this half-lion,
half-fish mixture spits water notwithstanding the country’s long times gone by
of water shortages, no one will ever know. But one thing is certain, the
Merlion is Singapore’s most prominent
landmark. The Singapore Merlion, a
legendary beast native to Singapore waters or a blatant marketing mascot? You
be the reviewer.
Overview
The media often touts the Merlion as a famous creature. Some sources even go so far as to cite (fictional) fables from when the country was still a fishing village and tales of how the mythological beast confined Singapore’s waters. This has bewildered some tourists into believing that till this day, Singaporeans still worship the Merlion idol.
The true nature of the Merlion however, is much more convenient. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the new country of Singapore began to be a focus for tourists from all over the world. As an refugee country, Singapore did not acquire any cultural creations to call its own. To counter this problem, the government fashioned the Singapore Tourism board to help support the country’s hatchling tourist industry.
As a key figure in Singapore’s tourist diligence, the Merlion is still worthy of praise. Locally, the Merlion doesn’t claim to be anything more than an understandable gimmick. Also, when compared to some of the other senseless tourists traps somewhere else, the Merlion doesn’t seem half as bad.
In fact, Singapore owes the Merlion much thankfulness for garnering the incessant attention of foreigners over the past 40 years. Since the creature’s commencement 1964, the number of visitors to Singapore has augmented from 100,000 to more than 10 million. The government continues to expand this billion dollar industry, generating immeasurable jobs. If there was anything worth worshiping the Merlion for, it is how much money this cover child of Singapore tourism has brought (and continues to bring) to our soil.
In spite of our love-hate relationship with the lion-fish, the Merlion still tops our list of must see sites to those visiting Singapore.
The Singapore Merlion overlooks Marina Bay at the northern end of the Merlion Park.
The media often touts the Merlion as a famous creature. Some sources even go so far as to cite (fictional) fables from when the country was still a fishing village and tales of how the mythological beast confined Singapore’s waters. This has bewildered some tourists into believing that till this day, Singaporeans still worship the Merlion idol.
The true nature of the Merlion however, is much more convenient. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the new country of Singapore began to be a focus for tourists from all over the world. As an refugee country, Singapore did not acquire any cultural creations to call its own. To counter this problem, the government fashioned the Singapore Tourism board to help support the country’s hatchling tourist industry.
As a key figure in Singapore’s tourist diligence, the Merlion is still worthy of praise. Locally, the Merlion doesn’t claim to be anything more than an understandable gimmick. Also, when compared to some of the other senseless tourists traps somewhere else, the Merlion doesn’t seem half as bad.
In fact, Singapore owes the Merlion much thankfulness for garnering the incessant attention of foreigners over the past 40 years. Since the creature’s commencement 1964, the number of visitors to Singapore has augmented from 100,000 to more than 10 million. The government continues to expand this billion dollar industry, generating immeasurable jobs. If there was anything worth worshiping the Merlion for, it is how much money this cover child of Singapore tourism has brought (and continues to bring) to our soil.
In spite of our love-hate relationship with the lion-fish, the Merlion still tops our list of must see sites to those visiting Singapore.
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