This optimism was very much in evidence yesterday at the first of the year's two Natas travel fairs. Within three hours of the fair's opening at the Singapore Expo, 6,600 people had turned up to check out the offerings from the 140 exhibitors.

According to National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (Natas) chief executive Robert Khoo, this was about 3,000 more than usual.

Queues had started forming at 10.30am, well before the official noon opening time.

Within 10 minutes of the official opening, Chan Brothers Travel had its first sale. Ms Soh Hui Fen, 29, a chemist, bought a package to Hokkaido, Japan for herself and her husband. She said she had queued for half an hour outside to buy the package 'at a good price'.

Over at Five Stars Tours, the tills were ringing right from the start, said deputy general manager Chris Tay.

In fact, the agents were so confident of Singaporeans' willingness to spend - and spend big - on travel that they put many expensive offerings on the table.

Among the tours for sale were those to the US, Europe and Australia and to exotic destinations such as Turkey, South Africa and countries in Eastern Europe, said Ms Ruth Lim, marketing and communications manager at Sino-America Tours.

High-end tours to Bhutan and Nepal, which cost between $4,000 and $6,000, were also available.

Singaporeans were also willing to shell money out for travel because the weakening US greenback and strong Singapore dollar made destinations like New York cheaper.

A US tour, which would have cost $4,000 three years ago, can now be had for under $2,400, said ASA Holidays' senior manager for marketing communications Eileen Oh.

Another new trend: the capacity crunch of last year, when many Singaporeans found themselves on waiting lists for flights as peak holiday seasons rolled around. This means many are now booking early.

Several visitors to the fair said they were planning holidays as far ahead as October.This was one reason why the Natas fair was brought forward by a month. It is usually held in late March.

Said Mr Khoo: 'We have to compete with the rest of the world for tickets. Singapore is the departure point for many tourists from Australia and they book tickets six months to a year in advance. So the earlier fair helps everyone get the tickets and firm up departures earlier.'