New Sensoryscape aims to boost Sentosa's connectivity, capacity

The 30,000 sq m, 350m-long walkway links RWS to beaches in the south

- Anjali Raguraman

Sentosa’s new Sensoryscape walkway is not only an artery connecting the north of the island to its south, but it is also aimed at getting more people to come to – and stay on – the island.

As the island’s visitor numbers rose over the years, its management found that the infrastructure could not accommodate the larger crowds.

“When visitor numbers went up, we found that capacity could not cope... so we wanted (the Sensoryscape) to be a passageway to enhance capacity and connectivity for people to move around the island,” Ms Thien Kwee Eng, chief executive of Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), told The Straits Times.

The 350m-long thoroughfare, lined with towering sensory gardens combining nature, technology and architecture, is an experiential attraction that officially opens on March 14. Spanning 30,000 sq m, it links Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) to the beaches in the south of the island.

Before the Sensoryscape, the main ways to traverse the island along the north-south spine included riding the Sentosa Express monorail or shuttle buses.

The north-south spine of the island originally comprised features such as the Sentosa Ferry Terminal and the Sentosa Musical Fountain, which were both located where RWS currently is. Attractions along the way included a 37m-tall Sentosa Merlion, which was closed in October 2019 after 24 years, and subsequently demolished.