By Lim Wei Chean

EVEN before the doors were open at noon on Friday, the queues getting into the Natas travel fair had snaked the length of four halls in Singapore Expo, extending all the way to the exit of the MRT station.

There were initial fears that the recession would keep Singaporeans home. But judging by the crowd size, this was clearly unfounded. Most consumers said they were there to check out bargains they could get.

Mr Robert Khoo, the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore's chief executive officer, said he expects some 50,000 to turn up for the three-day fair, spending some $50 million in tour packages. Sales is expected to remain on par with last year's show during the same period.

Record booths at Natas fair

Despite the recession, the biggest travel fair, the National Association of Travel Agents (Natas) fair opened on Friday with another record number of participating booths.

The fair, held at Singapore Expo halls 4 and 5, drew 928 booths, 7 per cent more than last year's fair.

Natas chief executive officer Robert Khoo expects some 60,000 visitors to attend the three-day event, higher than last year's 57,000.

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