FIVE operators – Changi Travel Services, Klook, Trip.com, GlobalTix, Traveloka have been named as authorised booking partners for Singapore Tourism Board’s SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRV) scheme following a competitive tender which closed early October.
From December 1, Singapore citizens aged 18 and above will be able to redeem $100 worth tourism vouchers through the five booking partners.
“We hope that over the next seven months, Singaporeans will use the vouchers to rediscover Singapore, to explore what our hotels, attractions and tours have to offer – and in the process, support jobs, livelihoods and capabilities in our tourism industry,” said STB’s CEO Keith Tan.
For the five operators and tourism businesses in Singapore, this comes as a much-needed boost for the business.
“We are grateful for the targeted and swift measures taken by the Singapore government to stimulate the tourism sector during the past one year. The SRV scheme will be key to stimulating demand for local tourism offerings,” said Jane Sun, chief executive officer of Trip.com Group.
Trip.com has teamed up with hotels and attractions to enhance the vouchers and encourage further spending. One such partnership is with Mandarin Oriental Singapore. The hotel will reward customers who redeem the vouchers for a staycation with S$100 dining credit. It is also throwing in complimentary extra bed and breakfast for the third or fourth occupant in its premier rooms or city suites.
Klook has similar partnerships and is looking to tap on the “pent-up demand from locals”. Klook has secured a few exclusive partnerships with hotels including Andaz Singapore, Grand Hyatt Singapore, Lloyd’s Inn and The Warehouse Hotel. Customers will receive a $50 hotel rebate voucher with a minimum spend of $50 worth of SRVs for hotels booked through Klook.
Klook’s partnership with UOB Travel Planners will allow UOB cardholders to apply additional discounts on top of their SRVs when booking through Klook.
“We’re excited to see how the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers will help to reignite the industry. As a booking platform, we are only as strong as our merchants are. Our goal is to facilitate the discovery and support for our tourism businesses – both big and small. We also hope to be the joy-bridge for Singaporeans as they rediscover their city again,” said Sarah Wan, Klook’s SEA marketing director.
Singapore’s GlobalTix has formed a tripartite with SingPost and DBS Bank to “extend its reach to Singaporeans”.
“SingPost’s network will allow us to reach out to the digitally-excluded while DBS cardholders who pay for the product with their DBS cards will enjoy a premium when they make the purchase,” said GlobalTix’s CEO Chan Chee Chong.
Chan said GlobalTix is “the only platform focused on helping our attraction partners such as Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Gardens by the Bay and tour operators such as Let’s go Tour, Monster Day Tour” by enabling direct selling and redemption on their own websites.
Said STB’s Tan, “I am encouraged to see our tourism businesses working with each other to reimagine their offerings for Singaporeans. As a result of these cross-sector collaborations, we have many very interesting bundled packages which can be bought using the SingapoRediscovers vouchers.”
More than 200 merchants have signed up to offer products for the vouchers.
“This is a monumental task – we have never done anything like this before at STB. It is the first national digital-only voucher scheme rolled out by the Government, involving hundreds of merchants, five booking partners and dozens of physical locations all over Singapore,” said Tan.
