More than 6 in 10 Singaporeans used their tourism vouchers at least once
More than six in 10 Singaporeans who received their SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRVs), or about 1.9 million people, have used their vouchers at least once by the end of the scheme in December last year.
This makes up about 2.6 million transactions, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said on Friday (Jan 21).
Close to $300 million in SRV transactions were recorded, comprising nearly $180 million in vouchers and about $120 million in out-of-pocket payments for SRV bookings.
To save the struggling tourism industry, about $320 million in the form of $100 worth of vouchers were given to each Singaporean aged 18 and above to spend on hotels, tours and attractions.
About three million people received their vouchers at the start of the scheme in December 2020. It was originally slated to end in June 2021 but was given a six-month extension till Dec 31 last year.
STB said the scheme had provided much support for local tourism businesses during this challenging time.
Both big and smaller merchants across the three core tourism industries - hotels, tours and attractions - have seen their revenues increase since the launch of the scheme, STB said.
It added: "Some smaller merchants - including tours - were fully booked in advance. There was an uptick in bookings for tours, with robust bookings during the school holidays."
Across the categories, attractions clocked the most transactions at 1.62 million, generating about $112 million in revenue.
This is followed by hotels, with 510,000 transactions and generating about $144 million in revenue.
There were 380,000 transactions for tours, followed by bundled packages, which saw 71,000 transactions.
The vouchers also had a multiplier effect, which resulted in additional spending at tourism and related businesses, STB said.
It added: "We thank Singaporeans for supporting our local tourism businesses, and we hope that they will continue to explore and rediscover Singapore in 2022."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now