Welcome to the first edition of Now! Singapore!

Although long admired for its modern efficiency, excellent urban planning and clean safe environment, Singapore nonetheless has still tended to suffer from an image problem up until very recently. Often labelled as sterile and without character, it was not a destination that could compare itself with the excitement of Bangkok or the energy of Ho Chi Minh for example. How things have changed!

In the past decade, the city has transformed itself at breakneck speed and is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia, offering an amazing choice of attractions and activities for the visitor to enjoy. In fact, the city has just been voted the top travel destination for 2015 by Lonely Planet so the time for visit is now.

Having lived for many years in Jakarta and Bangkok, it has been exciting to witness Singapore become such a modern cosmopolitan city at such pace. Apart from being a financial hub, Singapore now is a world food capital, complete with flourishing art, fashion and music scenes. The nightlife now rocks later than its neighbours, and the city is competing with New York and London to be the cocktail capital of the world!

Inspired by the opening of integrated resorts Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, together with hosting the world’s only Formula One night race, the city-state is now the destination of choice for a wide range of tourists and business travellers.

There is obviously much more to the city than the gleaming new skyscrapers of the CBD, the legendary malls of Orchard Road and the attractions of Sentosa.

At Now! Singapore, we will reveal more of this diverse city’s character, introducing our readers to the more colourful sides of the city not often featured in the international travel media.

I hope Now! Singapore will inspire readers to experience the different sides to Singapore. We’ll do our best to keep you up-to-date on all the city has to offer, so don’t just come for a few days, stay a little longer and get a much better appreciation of this diverse and exciting destination.

Justin Eeles