Over 760,000 adult Singaporeans have used their SingapoRediscover vouchers (SRV) at least once as of 28 Mar, but about 2.2 million adult Singaporeans have yet to redeem their SRVs, said Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing in a Parliamentary written reply on Monday (5 Apr).
The Government has earlier set aside S$320 million for tourism credits called the SingapoRediscover vouchers to drive local spending to Singapore’s eateries, shops, hotels and leisure attractions.
Eligible users can redeem their vouchers through five online booking platforms – namely Changi Recommends, GlobalTix, Traveloka, Trip.com and Klook – until 30 Jun this year.
Responding to questions from several Members of Parliament (MPs), Mr Chan revealed that more than S$108 million in vouchers and additional expenditure have been spent under the scheme.
He noted that there will be no change to the redemption deadline of 30 Jun for now and that the Government will continue to monitor the redemption rate over the remaining months before considering if any extension of the redemption deadline is warranted.
“Meanwhile we encourage Singaporeans to redeem their vouchers early so that they are able to select their preferred products and timeslots,” said the Minister.
Mr Chan also said that the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), together with the onboarded merchants and authorised booking partners, will intensify efforts in the next few months to encourage more usage.
“This includes sharing products and promotions across attractions, tours, and hotels, through STB and the authorised booking partner channels.
“Merchants are also encouraged to continue creating interesting products or bundles that will appeal to different groups of Singaporeans, or to work with each other to create such products,” he added.
Workers’ Party (WP) MP, Louis Chua of Sengkang GRC asked whether the Ministry would consider reviewing the redemption method for the SRVs to facilitate wider redemption rates.
In response, Mr Chan stated in his written reply that the STB and its authorised booking partners have improved the user experience via means such as placing additional reminders on child discounts and booking of timeslots.
“We will continue to review and enhance the process where necessary,” he noted.
Mr Chan further explained that the SRV was designed as a digital scheme that is “readily accessible to Singaporeans”, as he noted that many Singaporeans are familiar with making online purchases.
Singaporeans can also seek guidance from the authorised booking partners who provide booking assistance at more than 60 locations across Singapore, said the Minister.
He added that a digital scheme also enables merchants to manage their capacity to be in line with safe management measures and minimises fraud.
“STB has been monitoring the usage of SRV closely. There have not been any cases of fraud or profiteering detected thus far,” said Mr Chan.
