A visitor films water cascading from Jewel Changi Airport’s indoor waterfall HSBC Rain Vortex, Thursday. The airport features an entertainment and retail complex in its airport economic zone developed in 2019. Joint Press Corps
SINGAPORE — Hundreds of crowd gathered at Singapore’s Jewel Changi Airport, Thursday, staring up at the ceiling and counting down to film a spectacle with their mobile phones.
As the clock hits 11 a.m., 38,000 liters of water cascaded down to the giant indoor garden from the dome-shaped roof, drawing exclamations from the audience. The monument at 40 meters tall is the world’s largest and tallest indoor waterfall HSBC Rain Vortex, one of the iconic attractions of Changi airport.
Around the monument is an entertainment and retail complex, equipped with a wide range of shopping, leisure facilities and restaurants. It is the result of the airport’s eight-year-long project with a budget of $771 million, aiming to create an airport economic zone.
An airport economic zone refers to an airport’s surrounding area where various airport-related industries are integrated to form an industrial ecosystem for optimal synergetic effects.
Under the scheme, the former taxi stand and parking area transformed into a 135,700-meter square nature-themed monumental complex, offering relaxing and entertaining airport experience to visitors.
The project saw an immediate success. The Jewel attracted over 50 million visitors during the first six months since opening in October 2019, surpassing the airport’s pre-pandemic annual passenger record at 68.3 million from that year.
The airport became a travel destination of its own, sought by both air travelers and local residents, according to the airport official.
As a result, the airport was named the World’s Best Airport earlier this year in the World Airport Awards by a global world airline and airport research firm Skytrax for leisure amenities.
Following the global trend, Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC), the operator of Incheon International Airport, plans to develop an airport economic zone featuring integrated resorts and entertainment complexes.
Mohegan Inspire — a world class integrated resort featuring entertainment facilities, hotels and meeting convention space — is set to open to the public on Incheon’s Yeongjong Island near the airport on Nov. 30. ICT-based innovative theme park “Smart Racing Park” and a fine art piece storage facility for galleries, auctions and art fairs are also under construction.
“The airport expects to generate 15.3 trillion won ($12 billion) worth of ripple effects and create about 53,000 jobs as of 2030 by successfully realizing the airport economic zone,” IIAC President Lee Hag-jae said. “Incheon airport will join the global trend to actively foster the new industrial ecosystem.”
Lee will meet Changi Airport Group CEO Lee Seow Hiang to discuss airport management and mutual cooperation between the two airports on Friday.