SingapoRediscover Vouchers: More than 11,900 redeemed on first day, tickets to popular attractions sold out

• The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said there were more than 11,900 redemptions of its SingapoRediscover Vouchers
• More than 4,000 Singaporeans visited the 53 community centres to enquire about the vouchers
• On Facebook, people were complaining about the limited number of tickets redeemable for popular attractions 
• STB said that there is no rush to use the vouchers as more packages and products will be launched

SINGAPORE — Excited about taking her dementia-stricken husband to the Singapore Flyer for the first time, Madam Chin Lew Lee waited eagerly for the redemption counters to open on Tuesday morning (Dec 1) to redeem her S$100 SingapoRediscovers Voucher.

The 67-year-old, who lost her job at a factory due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is the sole caregiver of her 69-year-old husband, has been to the attraction several years ago with her sister, who had free tickets then.

“My husband has only seen the (Singapore Flyer) on TV so this is a good opportunity to take him along… We can see Singapore together,” she said, eagerly showing TODAY her booking slip.

The vouchers given to Singaporeans are part of the Government’s initiatives to give domestic tourism a boost during the Covid-19 crisis.

Mdm Chin was second in line at Tampines East Community Centre (CC) on the morning of the first day of redemption and was glad that she got to redeem tickets for the attraction she wanted to visit.

Things were not so smooth for some others.

A check on Facebook on Tuesday showed that people were complaining about the limited number of tickets that could be redeemed for popular attractions such as the Universal Studios Singapore amusement park at Sentosa.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said that there were more than 11,900 bookings using the vouchers as of 4.30pm on Tuesday, totalling about S$1.86 million in vouchers and payments received. 

The redemptions were done through five online booking sites: Changi Recommends, GlobalTix, Traveloka, Trip.com and Klook. 

STB said in a media release: “There was a good mix of bookings across the hotels, attractions and tours industries, as well as healthy interest in cross-sector bundled packages.”

Bundled room packages, tours and experiential outings have been offered by different tourism businesses to appeal to Singaporeans. 

STB added that more than 4,000 people had visited the 53 community centres assigned to handle enquiries about the vouchers.

Redemption counters for the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers at Tampines East Community Centre. Photo: Nabilah Awang/TODAY 

People at Tampines East CC on Tuesday told TODAY that the voucher redemption process was smooth-sailing.

Mr Ng Beng Lam, who was with his wife and daughter and first in line at the redemption counter, said that it took him about 20 minutes to get the tickets he wanted. 

The 72-year-old part-time taxi driver had made bookings to go to the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark and Observation Deck as well as the Singapore Flyer. He said that he would not have visited these attractions if he had to pay the full-price tickets. 

On the other hand, Mr Narayana Samy, 68, decided to put off his plans to use the vouchers to subsidise the cost of a six-night staycation at Carlton Hotel. He felt that it was more expensive to book via the authorised booking platform. 

The retiree, who used to be an international marketing manager at a golf company claimed that he could save up to S$40 a night if he used his corporate card to book instead. 

ALL BOOKED UP

Then, there was taxi driver Song Hwee Tin, who was dissatisfied that she could not redeem the vouchers to Universal Studios Singapore.

The 61-year-old was told that tickets for the date she wanted have been fully redeemed on booking platform Klook. 

Mdm Song, who was not aware that there was a limited number of redemption for various attractions and tours to avoid overcrowding, ended up redeeming tickets to the Singapore Flyer instead.

A check on Klook’s Facebook page found that many people had similar issues. 

One Facebook user named Adillah Dillah commented that the tickets to Universal Studios Singapore were fully booked on the platform up until March next year.

In response to her comment, Klook said that the tickets are now sold out due to overwhelming response. 

Based on its last update, the public will be able to start buying the tickets to the theme park again on Wednesday.

The SingapoRediscovers vouchers, the first national digital-only voucher programme rolled out by the Government in August, allows Singaporeans aged 18 and above to redeem S$100 worth of tourism experiences each from hotels, attractions and tour operators from now till June 30 next year.

As of Tuesday, there are more than 280 eligible SingapoRediscovers Vouchers and products available on the authorised booking platforms and physical counters, STB said.

Some operators or merchants have even joined forces to create bundled deals to appeal to Singaporeans. 

One of them is indoor family entertainment centre Nerf Action Xperience, which has teamed up with selected Ibis budget hotels in Singapore to offer a one-night stay at the hotels with tickets to three hours of play at the entertainment centre for two people, at the price of about S$108 a night. 

“STB will continue to work with the tourism sector to roll out more attractive, value-for-money deals from now until June 30, 2021. There is no need to rush to redeem the vouchers, as more products will be made available in the next seven months,” the agency said. 

Singaporeans may check the availability of their vouchers on go.gov.sg/srvbalance or check out VisitSingapore.com for more information.