About three-quarters of adult Singaporeans have not used their SingapoRediscovers vouchers
Visitors feed a giraffe at the Singapore Zoo on its first day of reopening to the public after the attraction was temporarily closed due to concerns about COVID-19, Jul 6, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
SINGAPORE: About three-quarters of adult Singaporeans have not used their SingapoRediscovers vouchers, which will expire at the end of June.
As of Mar 28, more than 760,000 Singaporeans have used the tourism vouchers at least once.
About 2.2 million Singaporeans have not redeemed their vouchers, said Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing in a written parliamentary reply on Monday (Apr 5).
“Collectively, more than S$108 million in vouchers and additional expenditure have been spent under the scheme,” he added.
Mr Chan was responding to questions about the utilisation rate of the vouchers, whether the ministry will consider extending the deadline and if the redemption method will be reviewed to encourage more people to use them.
“There is no change to the redemption deadline of Jun 30, 2021 for now,” said Mr Chan.
“We will continue to monitor the redemption rate over the remaining months before considering if any extension of the redemption deadline is warranted.”
READ: Tourism companies preparing strategies to benefit from SingapoRediscovers vouchers
It was announced last September that every Singaporean aged 18 and above in 2020 will receive S$100 worth of SingapoRediscovers vouchers, which can be used on staycations, attraction tickets and tours.
A S$10 subsidy will also be provided for children and youth tickets for attractions and tours.
On Monday, Mr Chan said that in response to feedback, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and authorised booking partners have improved the user experience, such as by placing additional reminders on child discounts and booking of timeslots.
READ: FAQ: What you need to know about the SingapoRediscovers vouchers
“We will continue to review and enhance the process where necessary,” he said, adding that STB will work with merchants and booking partners to “intensify efforts” to encourage the use of the vouchers.
“This includes sharing products and promotions across attractions, tours, and hotels, through STB and authorised booking partner channels,” said the minister.
“Merchants are also encouraged to continue creating interesting products or attractive bundles that will appeal to different groups of Singaporeans, or to work with each other to create such products.”
