SINGAPORE — Come December, holidaymakers can check into nine furnished safari glamping tents on Lazarus Island that its operator says are aimed at spreading awareness of “slow living” practices and encouraging vacationers to be mindful of their surroundings.
Six of these will be “couple tents” with a living area of 25 sqm, with the remaining three being 36sqm “family tents” that can sleep up to four guests.
The air-conditioned tents do not come with ensuite toilet or bathroom, so guests will have to make do with communal facilities located a short walk away.
Glampers will have exclusive use of two toilets, each containing two water closets, two shower cubicles and one urinal.
Guests will receive a “curated welcome kit” featuring eco-friendly products from local enterprises.
These include a “plantable” pencil and a natural watercolour painting set that are aimed at encouraging guests draw and paint in an eco-friendly manner during their stay.
The “plantable” pencil contains a plant seed at the end, which guests may choose to plant after using the pencil.
Prices for the glamping experience have yet to be confirmed.
The operator, a company called Into the Woods, was set up by Mr Ray Lee, 35, and his wife Sam Wong, 35, under a different name originally.
The couple had experienced camping and a outdoors lifestyle while living abroad in the United States and Australia for several years each.
Raising two young children, the couple have often been struck by how simple activities, such as a walk in the park or soaking in ocean waves, can easily become what their children describe as the “best day in my life”.
Speaking to TODAY, Mr Lee said the company had previously worked with the Ministry of Trade and Industry through its First Mover Framework, which provides entrepreneurs with innovative ideas a head-start through a direct allocation of public assets, typically land or spaces to testbed ideas.
This was how Into the Woods came to know about Sentosa Development Corporation’s (SDC) efforts in promoting sustainable tourism in the Southern Islands. SDC oversees such eco-tourism efforts on the Southern Islands, including Lazarus.
Speaking to reporters on Lazarus Island, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan said that he is “very much looking forward” to the upcoming glamping experience later in the year.
He also lauded the successful construction and launch of the various environmentally conscious initiatives on the island, such as the Lazarus Sea Sports Centre, which focuses on non-motorised water sports, and Tiny Away Escape houses which use solar energy as its main source of power.
“We have seen a few enhancements to the island, actually across all the Southern Islands, but particularly Lazarus Island,” he said.
“These are small but very impactful aspects to what we’re doing here in Lazarus Island. But finally, what we want to do is to engender a sense of preservation (and) conservation, even as ecotourism’s demand starts to rise.”