Debated in Parliament on 1 Feb 2021.
Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what are the targets of the SingapoRediscovers scheme in terms of the numbers of merchants who will benefit from it, broken down by revenue size and sector; (b) what is the current progress in terms of the numbers of such merchants, broken down by revenue size and sector; and (c) what support is given to (i) smaller merchants and (ii) merchants who are less digitally literate, to be onboarded to the scheme.
All licensed hotels, attractions and tours which have been approved by STB/MTI to operate may apply to participate in the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRV) scheme. There are currently 402 businesses on the SRV scheme, out of which 37% are tours, 11% are attractions and 52% are hotels. Eligible businesses may submit their applications at any time.
The SRV scheme does not target businesses of a specific revenue range. In fact, its digital platform features approved tourism products by all eligible businesses, allowing smaller businesses which otherwise might not have the marketing reach to be able to feature their products to all Singaporeans. At the same time, STB had secured lower-than-average commission rates for the SRV products listed on the five authorised booking partners.
Eligible businesses do not need digital expertise to participate in the SRV scheme.