THEY can usher in the new year in fashionable cities such as Paris, London or New York, but it's Singapore that is the party town of choice for foreign revellers.

One of them, Mr Hans Hallan, a Norwegian, has celebrated New Year's Eve in Norway, Denmark, US, Croatia and in several Asian countries.

But this year end, he will be counting down to 2008 in Singapore.

The business manager with a consumer goods company had worked in Singapore between 2005 and early 2006.

Though he's now based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he will be back on 31 Dec.

He told The New Paper in a phone interview: "I have quite a lot of friends in Singapore, and some are from Europe who are going to be in South-east Asia for Christmas. So we're meeting up in Singapore to celebrate. It's an opportunity to meet up with friends in the region."

Mr Hallan, 45, plans to celebrate at Hard Rock Cafe as he prefers listening to 'live' music.

Flying in from New York, US, is Ms Melati Malay, who will be arriving in Singapore on Friday.

The 22-year-old Indonesian-born bartender told The New Paper via e-mail that she will be meeting her siblings in Singapore.

Her elder brother Pablo, 24, has been working here for more than 11/2 years as a lawyer.

Her younger brother Michael, 20, and sister, Kathleen, 19, are studying in Australia.

Ms Melati lived here for eight months last year, working as a swimming coach.

The four siblings will be having dinner and counting down with a group of friends at a hotel. After that, they plan to hop on an open-top double-decker bus that friends will hire to ferry the group to a club to boogie the night away.

Her brother Michael told The New Paper via e-mail that Singapore is "the most convenient meeting-place for all of us", given that the siblings live in differentcountries.

As for Ms Melati, who works in New York, she is turning her back on the city's famous New Year's Eve street parties, most notably the one at Times Square.

Why Singapore?

She said: "To be with my siblings and because the nightlife in Singapore is all about excess!"

Varied Entertainment

While we are not sure about "excess", Mr Danny Loong, co-managing director for music bar Timbre, said Singapore does offer great diversity in terms of entertainment.

He said: "There's a variety of nightspots and countdown parties because we certainly know how to celebrate New Year's Eve.

"You can celebrate at the beach in Sentosa or listen to a 'live' performance or watch the fireworks at Esplanade."

Pan Pacific Singapore's public relations manager Cheryl Ng said Singapore's variety of attractive countdown activities is complemented by many other unique travel campaigns by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), making Singapore an attractive destination for travellers.

The hotel expects to reach 95-per-cent occupancy for New Year's Eve and has sold out its rooms that offer views of fireworks.

Mr Hallan said Singapore has a growing reputation as "a cool place to party".

He added: "I did my fair share of clubbing (when I was here). The Singapore nightlife is definitely headed the right way.

"Everyone can find something from Japanese whiskey bars to 'live' music to dance clubs. There's a great range and something for everybody.

Singapore ranks fifth this year in the Global Country Brand Index for nightlife.

Ms Tracy Phillips, marketing manager of Zouk, said that "in terms of nightlife, nowhere else in the region is on par with Singapore".

She added: "We are not far off from the major cities in terms of world-class entertainment. When it comes to infrastructure and price point, we are sophisticated yet competitive."

Some nightspots here even stay open till dawn.

Ms Celeste Chong, marketing director of Butter Factory, a club at Robertson Quay, said: "We operate till quite late, compared to clubs in other countries like Thailand or the US, where they usually close by 2am. So I have no complaints about our nightlife."

What works in Singapore's favour is also its low crime rate.

Ms Natalie Wee, sales and marketing manager for Hard Rock Cafe Asia, said: "Singapore is a safe place and (the foreigners) like how easy it is to move around in Singapore."

Ms Melati's brother Pablo agreed: "It's very safe in Singapore, you can party till late without worry."

Club operators said the next years will be even more exciting for Singapore's night scene, with the Formula One race next year and the opening of the integrated resorts in 2009/2010.

Get Into The Mood

The only gripe is that while the Lion City has much to offer in terms of choices, it's the people that are still playing catch-up.

Singaporeans need to let loose.

Ms Phillips said: "The Singapore audience is becoming more sophisticated, but they end up being more reserved."

She said in other countries like Thailand, despite the clubs having their opening hours curtailed and even though they do not have as many world-class acts, "the Thai people are very friendly and they know how to have a good time".

She added: "It's such intangibles that people compare and say that Singapore clubbing isn't as good. We need to improve on that."

This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 26, 2007.