News

Everything About the Collection of SingapoRediscovers Vouchers, Whereby Up To 66 Counters Will be Set Up

2020-11-04 , 2:00 pm

I know what you’re thinking.

Aren’t the SingapoRediscover Vouchers digital via your SingPass account? Why are we talking about the collection of SingapoRediscovers Vouchers?

Well, while many of you reading this article are tech-savvy enough to use SingPass to utilise the vouchers, there are just as many elderly out there who aren’t.

In an effort to ensure that a bulk of the population here in Singapore don’t miss out, the government is setting up counters to help them enjoy the vouchers too.

Here are the how, where, when and what about the voucher collection you (or, to be exact, your mom and dad) needs to know.

Everything About the Collection of SingapoRediscovers Vouchers, Whereby 66 Counters Will be Set Up

On 3 Nov 2020, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan said in parliament that up to 66 counters will be set up across Singapore to help those without a SingPass account redeem their physical SingapoRediscover vouchers.

Each public housing estate will have at least 1 redemption point.

The redemption points will be set up by booking platforms for the vouchers:

Klook Travel Technology with UOB Travel Planners
Changi Travel Service
Global Tix

There will also be ambassadors deployed to help the elderly with the redemption process, he assures.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is also working together with the People’s Association (PA) to have counters available at about 40 community centres.

Hotline For Enquiries

If a person isn’t comfortable enough with technology to redeem their SingapoRediscover Vouchers digitally, you can bet that they won’t be comfortable enough with the internet to search out for all the details.

Other than reaching out with physical touchpoints, STB is also setting up a hotline to deal with enquiries from members of the public.

Other than that, the authorities will also send out mails on the redemption process just before the SingapoRediscover Scheme rolls out.

Protection From Fraud & Scams

To protect from fraudulent transactions, the transaction has to be authenticated by SingPass, Singapore’s national online system, before vouchers can be distributed.

STB is also working with various agencies and booking platforms to explore more avenues to protect against fraudulent transactions.

Other than that, STB will also be monitoring the situation and data to look out for suspicious transactions.

Any that are found will be investigated further, the minister said.

Previously, the authorities have warned against the abuse of the vouchers and promised that harsh penalties will be put in place to deter potential abuse.

This includes reselling of vouchers on Carousell.

Only For Use For Hotel Stays, Local Tours & Attractions

Previously, it was mentioned that the vouchers, meant to revive the tourism industry, is only meant for hotel stays, local tours and local attractions.

The criteria, previously mentioned by the Minister for Trade and Industry, Chan Chun Sing, is to benefit industries that depend on tourists for 70-80% of their profit.

This means shopping and eating (a.k.a Singapore’s national interest) are out too.

Now, if you’re someone who’s into the Arts scene, and hope the vouchers can be used to subsidise plays and festivals, it’s probably not coming true.

The vouchers can only be used at local attractions like museums and art galleries.

If needed, however, relevant arts and cultural organisations can work with “eligible merchants” to develop bundles that qualify for the vouchers.

For example, a local tour showcasing the local arts scene of Singapore which includes a short play at a local theatre.

As for the other sectors heavily affected by the lack of tourists (F&B and retail), the government’s banging on the “multiplier effect” of the vouchers to have some spillover to them.

You can read more about the multiplier effect here.

Spread Out The Use Of Your Vouchers

It can be incredibly tempting to use your vouchers the moment you get them.

Attractions in Singapore are also allowed to apply to increase their capacity from 25% to 50%, which will, hopefully, help with the crowd situation.

However, the minister stressed, people in Singapore should try to spread out the use as much as possible.

Like pre-purchased airplane tickets, the vouchers have a travel period, so to speak.

They will be in effect from December this year to the end of June next year.

Families with schoolchildren can take advantage of three stretches of school holidays: 21 November to 31 December 2020, 13 to 21 March 2021 and 29 May to 27 June 2021.

It was previously said that the duration of the campaign is timed to coincide with three school holidays to spread out demand.

Alternatively, you can have a staycation during public holidays that fall within the period. According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), these are the options:

Christmas Day, Friday, 25 December 2020
New Year’s Day, Friday, 1 Jan 2021
Lunar New Year, Friday and Saturday, 12-13 Feb 2021
Good Friday, Friday, 2 Apr 2021
Labour Day, Saturday, 1 May 2021
Eid al-Fitr, likely Wednesday and Thursday, 12-13 May 2021
Vesak Day, Wednesday, 26 May 2021

Four long weekends in total – you can definitely plan something for at least one of them!

Some Suggestions For You

Check out this article on the nine best hotels in Singapore as voted by travellers on TripAdvisor, as well as their rates and discounts.

If you’d like to, you can browse through over 200 bundle deals and packages that await you on the SingapoRediscovers site.

In fact, Sentosa is offering SGD100 packages (or lesser) specifically for the use of the SingapoRediscover Vouchers.

There’s a wide variety of activities that can be done, including a romantic sunset cruise on a yacht, VR theme park or even a romantic cable car ride.

You can find out more here.