SINGAPORE — Less than half of the adult Singaporean population have redeemed their SingapoRediscovers Vouchers, with about two months to go before they are due to expire after Dec 31.

As of Oct 21, more than 1.25 million Singaporeans have used their vouchers at least once, Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Tuesday (Nov 2).

“Collectively, about S$256 million in vouchers and additional expenditure have been spent under the scheme,” Mr Gan added in a written response to a parliamentary question.

TODAY reported previously that by March 28, more than 760,000 adult Singaporeans aged 18 and above have redeemed their vouchers, while another 2.2 million have yet to do so.

This means that some 2.96 million vouchers were distributed to the population here.

These figures were based on another written parliamentary reply by then Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing in April.

In another update in September, the Singapore Tourism Board said that as of Sept 1, about 1.2 million adult Singapore citizens have used their vouchers at least once. 

The Government announced in August last year that it would set aside S$320 million for the voucher scheme, with the aim of boosting domestic tourism by offering each adult Singapore citizen S$100 worth of vouchers, which can be used for hotel stays and attractions tickets and tours here.

The vouchers could be used from Dec 1, 2020 to the end of June 2021. The redemption deadline was then extended in late April to Dec 31.

Mr Gan was responding on Tuesday to questions from Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui (Tampines Group Representation Constituency) who had asked about the redemption rate of the vouchers.

Ms Cheng also asked whether allowing the redemption of the vouchers by Singaporeans using their National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) at community centres and resident committees since August had resulted in higher redemption rates.

She wanted to know, too, if the Ministry of Trade and Industry will allow the use of the vouchers for purposes such as dining to support the food-and-beverage industry and whether there would be any further extension of the vouchers' expiry date.

In his reply, Mr Gan said that the ability to use the NRIC or other identification documents at selected community centres and resident committees have made it easier for some groups such as seniors to redeem their vouchers.

“Alongside other efforts to enhance the redemption process such as setting up SingapoRediscovers Voucher counters at attractions, more citizens have been able to redeem their vouchers and enjoy the tourism offerings in Singapore.”

Mr Gan stressed that the scheme was designed to give Singaporeans an “opportunity to rediscover the charm of Singapore and to support the core tourism sectors such as hotels, attractions, and tours”.

In that way, the scheme also benefits the food-and-beverage sector since many of these establishments have collaborated with tourism businesses to “curate packages that attract and draw local consumers to their outlets as well”.

On whether the expiry date will be moved, Mr Gan said that the authorities will continue to monitor the situation before considering whether a further extension of the redemption deadline is needed.