Debated in Parliament on 5 Apr 2021.
Ms Hany Soh asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) to date, how many Singaporeans have yet to redeem their SingapoRediscover vouchers; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider extending the redemption deadline of 30 June 2021.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the redemption method for the SingapoRediscover Vouchers to facilitate wider redemption rates.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) to date, what is the utilisation rate for the SingapoRediscover Vouchers; and (b) whether there has been any cases of abuse such as fraud, profiteering and resale of the vouchers.
As of 28 March 2021, over 760,000 adult Singaporeans have used their SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRV) at least once. About 2.2 million adult Singaporeans have not redeemed their SRV. Collectively, more than $108 million in vouchers and additional expenditure have been spent under the scheme.
SRV was designed as a digital scheme that is readily accessible to Singaporeans as many Singaporeans are familiar with making online purchases. For Singaporeans who need more guidance, the authorised booking partners provide booking assistance at more than 60 locations across Singapore. A digital scheme also allows merchants to manage their capacity to be in line with safe management measures and minimises fraud. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has been monitoring the usage of SRV closely. There have not been any cases of fraud or profiteering detected thus far.
In response to feedback, STB and the authorised booking partners have improved the user experience, such as placing additional reminders on child discounts and booking of timeslots. We will continue to review and enhance the process where necessary.
STB, together with the onboarded merchants and authorised booking partners, will intensify efforts in the next few months to encourage usage of the SRVs. This includes sharing products and promotions across attractions, tours, and hotels, through STB and authorised booking partner channels. 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.
There is no change to the redemption deadline of 30 June 2021 for now. We 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.
PAPERCUTS