Marina Bay Sands is most 'checked-in' place in S'pore

SINGAPORE - Integrated resort Marina Bay Sands (MBS) is the most "checked-in" location in Singapore, appearing in Facebook's 2013 list of top 25 destinations.

Universal Studios Singapore, Woodlands Checkpoint and Orchard Road are placed second, third and fourth respectively.

The data, released to The Straits Times, comes from Facebook users clicking on the "check-in" button on their news feed page to indicate that they have been to a place.

The Global Positioning System location-sensing feature in their smartphones helps to mark the exact location and time of the visit. Facebook, which has more than 1.1 billion active users worldwide, also published a list of the top spots in 24 other countries including the United States, Britain, Japan, South Korea and Australia.

Disneyland Paris in France, Disneyland Anaheim in the US and England's The O2 - an entertainment complex that hosted Fleetwood Mac, Beyonce and Justin Bieber concerts this year - made the world's top 25 alongside Singapore's MBS.

Mr George Tanasijevich, president and chief executive officer of MBS, said: "This recognition affirms our position globally and we would like to thank all our international visitors for their strong support and putting us in the global spotlight."

Since MBS started its Facebook page in 2010, it has attracted more than 324,490 fans and more than 1.67 million check-ins from Facebook users, Mr Tanasijevich added.

Billed as the world's most expensive standalone casino property at $8 billion, MBS features a surfboard-shaped sky terrace named Sands SkyPark perched atop three hotel towers. The sky terrace boasts the world's longest elevated swimming pool at 150m, as well as the upscale The Sky On 57 restaurant and nightclub Ku De Ta.

MBS, which opened in June 2010, also has the world's largest atrium casino with almost 500 tables and more than 2,500 slot machines, and a 1,300,000 sq ft convention centre.

Facebook also published the 10 most mentioned people and events of this year, with Pope Francis topping the list. The 266th and current Pope of the Catholic Church was elected in March, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

itham@sph.com.sg

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