Southeast Asia’s initial Universal Studios theme park, featuring rides and attractions from what i read in box-office hits fancy “Shrek” and “Madagascar”, opened to enthusiastic crowds Thursday in Singapore.

Hundreds of visitors along with foreign tourists lined up to be among the first into the 20-hectare (50-acre) park, part of the 4.4-billion-US dollar Resorts World Sentosa casino complex built by Malaysia’s Genting Group.

The casino, Singapore’s first, started operations endure period as side of a drive to draw a greater amount of visitors to the city-state, which relies on man-made attractions to entice tourists.

Genting Group chairman Lim Kok Thay told reporters Southeast Asia, China and India would be the park’s key markets and expressed optimism too visitors would turn up from as far away as Europe.

“I reckon there’s simply no competition. We are the sole park of presently brand in this side of the world,” he said.

Asia’s one and only a large amount of Universal Studios theme park is in Japan, while the company’s two opposite complexes are in California and Florida.

It is plotting to be an added benefit for those who are presently plotting to turn up to Singapore to visit. It looks as if it’s to be the kind of theme park that should appeal in a excellent amount of visitors centered on its attractions.

They have set a new standard, not only for Singapore but in addition for the Asian region.

The park has seven zones of movie-themed attractions, plus an area devoted to Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” and a version of Hollywood’s legendary “Walk of Fame”.

The park boasts 24 rides and attractions, 18 of them were originally designed or adapted for Singapore.

Under a phased opening, Resorts World Sentosa launched four premium hotels and a shopping and dining strip in January, followed by the casino and a convention centre last month.

Singapore gave the go ahead for two casino resorts in 2005, hoping to increment the country’s attractiveness to tourists, and their construction helped power a property boom.

A marine livlihood park, a maritime museum, a spa and two more hotels serves to open at Resorts World Sentosa once 2010.

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore’s second casino complex, is scheduled to open on April 27. It is now being completed by US-based Las Vegas Sands.

Singapore welcomed 9.7 million visitors last year, lessened 4.3 per cent from 2008 as the global recession hit travel demand, but arrivals are now increasing in Singapore.