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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Colin Lowther.
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And I’m Megan Nollet. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Voice 1
The Republic of Singapore sits at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula in Asia. It is quite small compared to other countries. Singapore is both a city and a country. It has only five million people. But Skytrax has named Singapore Changi Airport the best airport in the world twelve times.
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Today’s Spotlight looks at how Singapore was able to create one of the greatest airports in the world. How could a small country do this? How has it maintained its advantage?
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Changi Airport is not Singapore’s only impressive feature. Singapore is one of the cleanest cities in the world. In 1968, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first Prime Minister, started the Keep Singapore Clean Campaign. This was the first time the government fined people for littering. Its goal was not simply to make Singapore more pleasant. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew believed that a cleaner city would create a better economy. He said:
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“These rules will keep happiness high. They will keep the sickness rate low. And these will create important social conditions for higher economic growth in industry and travel. This will add to the public good. It will end in everyone’s personal gain.”
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Singapore’s desire to keep its environment clean directly affected people’s daily attitudes and habits. The various government campaigns even targeted children. Teachers encouraged their students not to litter. Children grew up wanting to keep things clean.
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Because of the government’s efforts to create a nice place to live, Singaporeans take great pride in their home. This is one of the reasons they hold Changi Airport to such high standards. It is Singapore’s statement to the world. It shows their country’s success. Author Neil Humphreys writes:
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“Changi Airport matters because it is not merely an airport to many Singaporeans, but an important chapter in the Singapore story. They are linked. The growth and success of both are very similar. Changi Airport is Singapore: efficient, clean, modern, and forward thinking.”
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While all airports try to keep their areas neat and clean, Changi Airport is perfectly maintained. This makes a lasting impression on travelers. Singapore’s commitment to neatness and tidiness has directly affected how Singaporeans approach their work. Everything must be kept orderly and organized. When Skytrax repeatedly named Changi Airport the best airport in the world, it used a rating system by travelers for several categories. Travelers said:
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“Changi Airport’s check-in is simple and speeds up the process. Its arrivals are flawless. Its transfers are seamless. Its security and immigration through to departure are the quickest.”
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For citizens of Singapore, it is very easy to get to the airport. Singaporean Keshia Naurana Badalge says:
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“It takes thirty minutes to get from the city center to the airport by train or bus. It is inexpensive, too. I live in the northeast of the country. Public transportation to the airport costs less than two Singapore dollars. There are no extra airport entrance fees.”
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Changi Airport is not only clean and efficient, but it offers travelers things not found in other airports. The Jewel is an area inside the airport that holds the tallest indoor waterfall, the Rain Vortex. The water falls through a hole in the glass ceiling. The Shiseido Forest Valley surrounds the Rain Vortex. It is a garden with 60,000 shrubs and 900 trees. There are walking trails and places to sit throughout the garden. A light and sound show plays behind the waterfall at night.
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The airport has four terminals. Terminals are buildings where passengers can buy tickets, check their luggage, and get on and off airplanes. Terminal 1 has an outdoor cactus garden on its rooftop. Terminal 2 offers a sunflower patch on its rooftop and the Enchanted Garden inside. Terminal 3 displays a pond for special fish and a garden for beautiful insects. It is the only garden found like it in any airport.
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Changi Airport has various works of art hung throughout the terminals. It even has a free movie theater that is open twenty-four hours a day. It shows all the latest movie releases. Terminal 3 provides a wall for climbing. The Jewel offers places for children to play. There is a rooftop swimming pool that is part of the Aerotel Airport Transit Hotel connected to Terminal 1. There are more than three hundred stores for shopping in the airport, including shops with the latest fashion.
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Hiskandar Zulkarnaean takes his family to Changi Airport every few weeks. They visit the Jewel and enjoy the airport’s rides and games. He says:
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“I have yet to experience another airport that presents itself as a holiday, shopping, and eating spot.”
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Most travelers in any airport need to eat before their flight or during their stopover. Changi Airport offers more food options than many cities. The Jewel alone contains more than one hundred restaurants and bars scattered across its seven floors. A person can find food representing Japan, China, America, Great Britain, Latin America, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and many other nations. Terminal 3 has Singapore Food Street with food stands and restaurants. Terminal 2 includes an outdoor area called Hub & Spoke. Here, visitors can sit in the sun and dine at a café. The airport also offers vegan and vegetarian options. There are twenty-four-hour places to eat at each terminal. This convenience is one thing that makes Changi different from other airports.
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Singapore Changi Airport offers flights by more than 100 airlines to 150 locations. The airport provides more than 6,400 weekly flights. Singapore Airlines has multiple trips between Asia and New York every day.
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Changi Airport is an exciting place to visit. For many, an airport is just a place to pass through. But Singaporeans have turned this one into a travel destination of its own.
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Which is the nicest airport you have visited? Have you ever been to Singapore’s Changi Airport? Which feature of Changi Airport do you think is the most helpful? You can leave a comment on our website at www.spotlightenglish.com. You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X. You can also get Spotlight episodes delivered directly to your Android or Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app.
Voice 2
The writer of this episode was Peter Anderson. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this episode and voiced by Spotlight. No AI or artificial intelligence was used in this episode. Spotlight episodes are written, voiced, and produced by real people for real people, no matter where in the world they live. This episode is called, “The Airport that is a Travel Destination of its Own.”
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We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight episode. Goodbye.
Questions:
Which is the nicest airport you have visited? Have you ever been to Singapore’s Changi Airport? Which feature of Changi Airport do you think is the most helpful?
