Singapore slinging

It’s midnight here in Singapore, which means that Tom Parker-Bowles has just taken over at LBC 97.3 with his excellent Food and Drink programme – which means I am now dismantling the temporary studio installed at the historic Fullerton Hotel www.fullertonhotel.com. I talked to the general manager, Giovanni Viterale, about this property's history – well worth calling in if you’re lucky enough to be stopping off in this illustrious city state. I also heard from Rustan Omar of the Singapore Tourist Board about the changing opportunities for the visitor:  to find out more, there’s an awful lot of unofficial websites – but for the real thing see visitsingapore.com. Nick Ionides, VP Public Affairs for Singapore Airlines http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/index.jsp took time out of his Chinese New Year/Valentine’s Day celebrations to talk about why, even if I paid as little as £400 return to Singapore, the airline is still a success. By the way, the Prime Minister's new year message was to urge Singaporeans to have more babies - many Chinese are superstitious about babies born in the year of the Tiger, and there's normally a dip in the birth rate - which is already below replacement levels. A Valentine’s Day message there somewhere.
Great calls, thank you: I hope I persuaded Lynne in Chiswick to rent a car when she visits Las Vegas. Ashina in Greenwich wanted to know about a good guide for Rome - a leading British guide is offering a special Caravaggio walk to tie in with the new exhibition: James Hill (00 39 347 875 4486; jameshill@virgilio.it) is your man (and my friend).
Back in Europe, Noel Josephides of Sunvil http://www.sunvil.co.uk/ told me what the Greek economic crisis will mean for holidaymakers this summer: keep calm and carry on, was the main message.
Finally, do make tracks for the tropics in Singapore ... but bear in mind the Foreign Office http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/ solemn warning that "In Singapore smoking in public buildings, littering, jaywalking, spitting, feeding birds in public places, chewing gum on the local transport system, and failing to flush public lavatories are civic crimes and attract instant fines."
Happy travels, and I'll be back in London for next week's Travel Clinic.
Simon