Singapore shines in toilet summit

Singapore's ANA hotel has recently finished upgrading all three men's public toilets which all offer CNN news on 14-inch TV screens

SINGAPORE -- Singapore aims to cash in on the humble toilet while promoting its reputation for being squeaky-clean, when it hosts the World Toilet Summit next week.

Some 500 restroom professionals from around the world are expected to troop to Singapore for a three-day summit beginning November 20, featuring state-of-the-art restroom designs.

The restroom industry has developed to a point "where it was necessary to create a significant international forum to highlight the contributions, state-of-art and practices of the restroom trade and profession," the summit organizer, the Restroom Association of Singapore, said in a statement.

The organizers added that Singapore is well placed to host the premiere event, since it has excellent amenities and cleanliness.

Incidentally, China is sending 20 delegates to join the summit, apparently to improve its notoriously foul public toilets, in time for the 2008 Olympics.

The official China Daily earlier reported that Beijing officials had agreed to a two-year renovation plan for the 452 public toilets at 305 tourist sites.

In addition to case studies on toilets in South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, China, Korea, India, England, Finland and Australia, the seminar will also include a forum on investments in toilets.

The even organizer has also planned a tour for the delegates to visit Singapore's top three restrooms including themed lavatories at two downtown shopping malls and the zoo.

Singapore's Zoo loo has toilets with rock walls and vegetation to give users an outdoor experience, and regularly shines in Singapore's annual "Clean Public Toilets" campaign.