The Waterfront site (pictured in an artist’s rendering) is due to feature two hotels totalling 700 rooms and “biophilic architecture”, designed by international architecture firm Benoy. The site will also include a four-storey podium with space for shops, entertainment and restaurants, according to the casino firm.

The new project is part of Genting Singapore’s SGD6.80-billion (US$5.07 billion) investment to upgrade the casino complex.

The Business Times news outlet quoted Tan Hee Teck, chief executive of Resorts World Sentosa, as saying that the Waterfront development was “like no other before it in Singapore or [in] the region and will be a must-visit in the global tourism landscape”.

At the groundbreaking on Friday, Singapore’s minister of State for Trade and Industry, Alvin Tan Sheng Hui, said the Waterfront site would be a “key feature of Resorts World Sentosa’s expansion and an exciting new addition to Singapore’s vibrant tourism landscape,” according to the media outlet.

The expansion of Resorts World Sentosa comes as Genting Singapore works to boost the appeal of the property, and as part of the pledge to the local government for the renewal of its gaming licence.

Earlier this month, Genting Singapore gave more details on the property’s expansion project, called “RWS 2.0”.

The company said Universal Studios Singapore’s new themed zone, Illumination’s Minion Land, is scheduled to “open in the first quarter of 2025”.

The SEA Aquarium will be rebranded as the Singapore Oceanarium, and a soft opening will take place in the first half of 2025, according to the firm.

The complex’s retail area, also known as The Forum, is also under renovation. Genting Singapore additionally plans to open an all-suite hotel early next year, replacing the Hard Rock Hotel, which closed in March.

Genting Singapore reported a net profit after taxation of SGD79.4 million for the three months to September 30, down 63.3 percent from a year earlier. That was on revenue that fell by 18.5 percent from the prior-year period, to SGD561.9 million.