Singapore has been ready for the APEC Leaders' Week meetings, which are to be kicked off Sunday with the opening of the Concluding Senior Officials' Meeting.
Around 10,000 delegates, media persons and visitors, including 21 leaders and 63 ministers from the 21 APEC member economies, are arriving in the country. The city's hotels are hustling and bustling for welcoming guests from around the Asia-Pacific regions, with some providing a welcome drink -- a specially concocted APEC cocktail -- to new arrivals.
Those staying at The Fairmont Singapore and Swissotel The Stamford, two designated hotels by the APEC organizing committee, were expected to receive special welcome amenities like APEC souvenirs and a range of gifts and services.
Trainings in service and languages for employees were also provided by hotels to cater to the needs of visitors from around the world.
Local restaurants, already renowned for its fusion meals, came in with new ideas. An APEC-themed menu at O'Leary's, which is a restaurant at the city's iconic attraction Singapore Flyer, included an "Obama burger" in recognition of the U.S. President Barack Obama who will be in town for the Summit.
APEC delegates could also have the chance to taste the country's signature cocktail -- the Singapore Sling, all in celebration of the grouping's 20th anniversary.
The streets of Orchard Road, the main shopping area, and the Marina Bay area, where main tourist attractions were located, lit up for eight weeks as of Saturday, in time for visiting APEC delegates.
Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong called on the Singaporeans to become hospitable hosts for the event.
"Whether you are a taxi driver, whether you a staff in a hotel, whether you are asked for directions in the street, or whether you are just going about your business and inconvenienced because the APEC convoy has zoomed by and (caused) a traffic jam, please do your part and show them what Singapore can do," he said at an earlier press conference.
About 1,700 volunteers were chosen out of some 3,000 applicants and would be assigned to cover a wide range of duties, including receiving delegates at the airport and tending to the information booths located at various hotels.
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