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SINGAPORE: SingapoRediscover coupon redemption day 1 drew mixed responses from Singaporeans, with several queuing up on Tuesday (December 1) morning to book their stays, attraction tickets and tours.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) announced in September that all Singaporeans over the age of 18 will receive S $ 100 in coupons in 2020 in a bid to boost the local tourism industry that has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The vouchers can be used between December of this year and June of next year, with a S $ 10 subsidy provided for children’s and youth tickets to attractions and tours.
In addition to redeeming the coupons online, those who need help doing so can go to places in Singapore for help.
At 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, seven people were queuing at Tampines East Community Club (CC), where the online platform Klook had set up its reservation services.
First in line to redeem his voucher was Mr. Ng Beng Lam, 72, a part-time taxi driver who came with his wife and daughter. He arrived at the CC before 9 a.m. M., More than an hour before in-person reservations began at 10 a.m. M.
“Usually there will be a lot of people queuing for this kind of thing. I was worried that there would be a long line and I would have to wait a long time, ”he told reporters in Mandarin.
Mr. Ng redeemed three tickets for the Singapore Flyer and the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark observation deck, spending around S $ 50 and around S $ 60 respectively. He wanted to visit the attractions for many years, but the cost put him off, he said.
Overall, Mr. Ng said he was “very satisfied” with the process.
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On why he came in person to reserve the tickets, Mr. Ng said: “I don’t speak English so it’s quite troublesome. I thought he would come for help, which would be faster, finish everything on the spot. “
He added that he would go back to the CC to redeem his next ticket because it was convenient and the staff members were friendly. He noted that the entire reservation took him about 20 minutes.
Mr. Ng Deng Lam and his wife were the first in line at Tampines East Community Club to redeem their SingapoRediscovers coupons. (Photo: Cindy Co)
But not everyone found the process easy, with some hiccups when they tried to book tickets.
Retired Narayana Samy, 68, arrived at 10:45 in the morning, but left without rescuing anything. He had intended to book a six-night stay at the Carlton Hotel Singapore, but felt that the prices offered were beyond what he expected.
Since he only wanted to use his vouchers for a vacation at home, Mr. Narayana said that he would not redeem his vouchers.
“It is a good idea for people who want to do sightseeing, excursions, but it is not a good idea for hotels,” he said.
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Taxi driver Song Hwee Tin, 61, booked tickets for the Singapore Flyer. He intended to book tickets for Universal Studios Singapore (USS).
She came to CC to learn how the process worked so she could help her neighbors redeem their coupons, she said.
“But it is very complicated, there is a lot of procedure to do,” he added. “Very, very troublesome.”
Klook had already sold out Universal Studios Singapore for the day Mdm Song wanted to visit.
A commenter on Klook’s Facebook post Tuesday morning said USS tickets were taken in full through March. In response, Klook said around 2.55pm that the USS tickets were sold out due to an “overwhelming response” to them.
“We are working hard to bring them back, and based on our latest update, you will be able to start buying them again tomorrow,” Klook said in response to the commenter.
Speaking to reporters, Klook’s Southeast Asia Marketing Director Sarah Wan said there were 260 merchants on her platform as of Monday night, but she expected this number to increase during the week.
“I think … at first we were a little concerned about the offline redemption, but I think the process so far has been pretty straightforward,” Ms Wan said, adding that there has been a “pretty even distribution” of reservations at hotels, attractions and excursions.
He also noticed a “heavy increase “in traffic at their booking sites between midnight and 2 am Tuesday. Ms Wan said there was a” significant reduction “in tour prices, with a 30 to 40 percent discount on tours. original prices.
Responding to clients who might find the process confusing, Ms. Wan said, “It is always an initial hurdle when it comes to getting used to a new process.
“But so far, the feedback we’ve gotten from our staff is that once they’ve tried using the SingPass app to redeem that first coupon, the process has been very straightforward.”
